Return of the Girl with The Fishy Tattoo
by pinkxjellybean
Summary: Rikki and Frankie are sent back to NYC to check on the new exhibits, but is that the only reason? The Vampiric Killer is still on the loose. Can he be stopped, even with our heroes new partners?
1. Good News for the Pharaoh

**AN: Told you guys I'd get the next part up soon! This story and the next might be a tad darker than the previous two. There will be reference to sex, and I don't know how "tastefully" it might come out, so I'll put warnings. Sorry this chapter's short.**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN NATM! If I did. I would know Rami Malek and my life would be forever made.**

LARRY'S POV

Just as I was leaving my apartment for work, I got a call from a number that my phone didn't know, but that I got the feeling I should.

I answer, "Hello?"

"Leslie?" Rikki's calm voice came through the reciever, "tomorrow McPhee will come to you and tell you that the museum has recieved its new exhibits."

"We're getting new exhibits?"

"He will also be exasperated that you are unaware of this. Seriously Lindsay, what do you do with your time. You really ought to keep on top of these things!" she sighed, "We'll be there tomorrow night to see to these things."

"You need somewhere to stay?"

"If it is no inconvience."

"Of course not, how long will you be in for?" I could hear Frankie in the background jammering on about something insistantly, and Rikki trying to tell her to be quiet.

"Fine! Frankie says Hi," she said sullenly, "and to your question, probably no more than a week. Just to be sure your new people can do well in public."

"Frankie's coming?"

"Of course?"

"Alright. I guess I 'll see you both tomorrow night."

"See you then," she hung up.

AHKMENRAH'S POV

When I woke up, Larry was there, "Hey, man," he grinned.

"Hello," I said. Why was he here? He usually just let me out and went on with his job.

"There's something I have to tell you!"

"Yes?"

"Yeah, but I gotta go finish my other rounds first!"

"You could have been doing that instead o waiting for me to wake up..."

"Stay here!" he went to do his other work, and I feel my eyes narrow. This must be important, or he wouldn't have tried to make it easier for himself to find me. I hoped that I wasn't to be moved again. I liked it here. I'd liked it at Cambridge, too, but here I had... more than one friend...

Was I to be moved for scientific testing? That was how I'd gotten out in Cambridge, in the first place, frightening a poor Egyptology student who had been taking some notes on me for an autopsy report. Poor Jared. He really didn't take well to the mummy he was studying suddenly rehydrating and waking up. He later stated, that my being nude didn't put his mind to ease...

Larry returned at long last and smiled, "So, are you feeling ok, Ahk?"

"Yes, now what is the news?"

"You remember those girls, Rikki and Frankie?"

My heart beat raced at the mention of Frankie, "Of course I do."

"Well, they're coming back."

"Frankie's coming back?"

"We're getting some new exhibits and they're coming to check them out tomorrow."

I hop up and shake his hand, "Thank you for this news, thank you!"

Larry smiled again, "No problem, man," he left me to my personal jubilations.

Frankie was returning to me! After a year apart we would be together again! She was coming! Coming here!

Gods, my beautiful sweet love!

For once I can't stand the wait to sleep. Tomorrow she's coming.

My memories during that day are all of her. When I wake it's with a start, and I smack my head on the sarcophagus lid.

LARRY'S POV

McPhee did tell me about the new exhibit, well, that there was one, and that it was set up, and asked if the "Generous anonymous donator could find reinactors."

I said it would be handled.

He left, not telling me who was exhibited. I went up and looked in the room so I could take down the names for Rikki and Frankie. When I realize who the group is I let loose an unstoppable groan, "You gotta be kidding me."


	2. The Dangerous Duo Returns

**AN: Thanks for the reviews you guys!**

LARRY'S POV

A few hours later the Dangerous Duo show up, just after sundown.

"Well, is this not a treat!" Teddy hopped down from Texas, "It has been far too long."

Frankie embraces the President, "It's good to see you, too, Teddy."

Then they approached me, but as they did so, Frankie hung back, antsy to see Ahk, no doubt. Rikki and I discuss the new exhibits, and Frankie tried to draw Rikki's attention, as her eye has caught something, and I know she's seen him. She had cut her hair shorter than before and dressed less like a boy, "Ma, c'n I-?"

"Not now, Frankie."

The young girl backs up and goes up the stairs, she runs up the stairs and into Ahk's open arms.

After a moment, she realizes that Frankie is gone, "where did she go?"

"To Ahkmenrah," I said.

AHKMENRAH'S POV

She looks so different, but I still knew her right away. Her face itself had not changed in the least, the dusting of freckles still lay beautifully over her little nose, and the dark makeup still darkened the lids and lashes of her grey blue eyes. Now her lips were colored red. Her hair was shorter, cut to the length of her jaw, then ends still curled in. The key was gone from her neck, replaced by a thin black collar with metal studs, like the cuff on her wrist, hanging from it was a small cameo, white over black. Her clothes fit tighter to her body, which had grown leaner, but still curved in the right places.

The pants she wore where black denim, tight and tucked into the combat boots she wore. The visible form of her legs were beautiful. Her tops were a blue tank top under a black top with fishnet sleeves to her elbows. The colorful tattoo of the goldfish on her wrist stood out against the dark of her clothes.

She had grown up, but she was still herself.

She had become a woman in the year we were apart.

Her soft, warm lips felt better than anything I had ever felt.

"Ahk, I missed ya," she whispered into the space between our lips.

"I missed you, too," I took her hand and led her into my exhibit, "You don't know how it has been for me without you."

"I c'n guess t'were the same as it were fer me wifout you."

I lead her into the temple, her small hand in mine. We sit on the bench and I kiss her hand, "tell me of your adventures."

She told me about her stay at a place called Hogwarts to protect it from the remaining followers of a dark lord who was defeated. They had to work undercover, so they would raise no suspicsion from the headmistress, a woman named McGonagal, who didn't like her so much. Rikki worked as a Professor, and Frankie was a student and she caused all sorts of mischief.

She told me about how they had stopped a plague in an alternate primative reality.

About the supposed threat of alien invasion, that had not been a threat, and how they had stolen his robot.

She ran out of stories, she looked embarrassed and said, "what 'bout you?"

"What about me?"

"What've y'done wif yerself?"

"Oh, not much. We've been doing the whole extended hours thing, which has kept me busy... I am quite the lady's man you know."

"Yes of course," she said dubiously, "how many hearts've ya broke since I left?"

"Oh, the ladies are not discouraged, their hearts are still intact. They live in one of the elderly persons homes."

"Oh, so they're old grannys? You mackin' 'em all or is there someone special?"

"There are two ladies in particular who seem to bear an interest in me, Muffy and Gladys, you will likely meet them. They are here every third sunday."

"I look forward to meeting the competition," she said, with a coy little smile.

"They are not competition. No other woman can hold a candle to you," I said, softly, mildly embarrassed. I admit this. Sometimes she would not believe my compliments, and I always felt strange to speak such truths to her because it seemed as though she never quite believed me. The way she would look at me made me think I ought to be embarrassed for saying or for thinking of her in the way that I did.

She grasped me suddenly and kissed me, "I forgot how beautiful you are, Ahk."

"I could not forget your beauty if I tried. You were in many of my dreams."

"Was I?"

"Yes."

"What class of dream was these?" she asked.

I felt my ace go red, which just made her laugh.

"Yer so shy, Ahk," she giggled.

"I am not!"

"Y'are so! Ya don' wanna admit y'had kinky dreams 'bout me. As if I didn' have kinky dreams bout you."

"Did you?" I ask, my interest irrefutably peaked.

"No, but that ain't the point."

"Bout you just said-"

"The point is you didn' know I ain't had such dreams, so there ain't no reason to be so bashful bout havin' dirty dreams."

"You exasperate me sometimes."

"Would you have it any other way?" she asks.

"I couldn't imagine it any other way," I stroked her hair, "Don't ever leave me again."

"I don' much wanna, now do I?"

"Stay here with me, " I whisper, laying down, and pulling her down with me. I kissed her lips and her freckled cheeks and her neck until she giggled for me to cease.


	3. Barrel full of blank shells

**AN: Hey guys, sorry my updates are so slow. I hope to speed it up, but at the moment can't promise anything. Also sorry about how short this chapter is.**

**Quick Disclaimer: I don't own NATM, the Museum mentioned or Gir. If I did I honestly wouldn't be a starving college student.**

RIKKI'S POV

I didn't bother going after Frankie when Daley pointed out that she had gone off after Ahkmenrah. I let her go because I figured it must be nice to have someone to go home to in the way that Frankie could go home to Ahkmenrah.

Daley leads me down the hall to the temporary exhibit that we had been sent to supervise for a month because apparently they were to be considered dangerous. I hadn't realized the full extent of the danger until I heard the sounds of blank shots being fired from a machine gun, or rather several machine guns, as well as several other forms of armament.

"Who exactly is in there?" I ask.

He handed me a list of the waxworks that listed in alphabetical order:

Barker, Fred

Barker, Kate "Ma"

Barrow, Clyde (with Parker, Bonnie)

Capone, Al "Scarface"

Dillinger, John

Floyd, Charles "Pretty Boy"

Hamilton, John "Red"

Karpis, Alvin "Old Creepy"

Kelly, George "Machine Gun"

Nelson, George "Baby Face"

Nitti, Frank "The Inforcer"

Ricca, Paul "The Waiter"

Torrio, Johnny

"Jesus Christ," I said in spite of my self.

"My thoughts exactly," Daley said.

"Their guns ARE firing blanks, correct?"

"Yeah, of course. Part of the exhibit was some antique guns, so I put in some blanks, because I figured they needed something to do until you got here."

I am forced to agree with him, which I don't like in the least.

"We have pnly so much time before they realize that they are firing blanks."

"Yeah well... they ought to last until morning at least, with out breaking down the doors, and then we can deal with them tomorrow night."

"Good plan," I said, backing from the door, half expecting one of them to have heard him and break it down.


	4. The Ten Cent Tour

**AN: I am so sorry about how long this is taking to write. If there are those of you who can't stand reading the way Frankie talks, I am sorry, but it's the syntax. Also, a note of caution. At the end of this chapter it may become apparent that after this chapter the next few many be mildly risque. I will try to keep it tasteful, but I can't promise anything for the rest of the story. This warning is a general one and doesn't really apply to this specific chapter.**

**As always, enjoy, and reviews appreciated.**

AHK'S POV

They were back.

Frankie was back.

The joy of this fact revisited me when I awoke again the next night to find Frankie standing there with a paper cup of coffee in her hand as if she had never left me at all.

I kissed her and tasted the sugary sweet vanilla on her lips and tongue, where it didn't bother me so much. The smile that followed the kiss was sweet as anything I had ever known..

"Hello, Sweetheart," I whispered.

"Hey," the grey blue eyes flicked up to mine, "Brought ya yer coffee," she held out the cup.

"Many thanks," I took it from her, brushing her hand with my fingers.

The soft dusting of freckles over her nose stood out when she blushed like that. She wore a loose fitting tee shirt today, with dark sleeves and a white body, and a faded decal on the front.

There was a loud explosion like the ones I had heard the night before. It sounded muffled by the distance.

"Crap," Frankie murmured, "uh, I gotta go, luv. Business n' all that..."

"Yeah, I know," I sigh, "It's alright. New exhibits can be a tad tempermental," I slid my arms around her waist, pulling her close and whispering in her ear, "Just promise you'll come back as soon as you can."

"O'course," she grinned, kissed my cheek and went on her way.

FRANKIE'S POV

I hurry down the halls to the Golden Age of Crime exhibit that Rikki stood in front of, waiting expectantly for me.

"One of us has to go in there," she said, drawing a large, heavy looking coin from her pocket, "Call it," she flipped it, and caught it in the palm of her hand.

"To go in?"

"Yes."

"Heads."

She opened her palm to reveal the tail side of the coin.

"Damn," I take a deep breath before going in the doors,

If I hadn't known for sure that the bullets were blanks, I never would've gone in there, that's for sure. But as it were, I didn't much a choice.

"Hey!" I yelled over the gunshots, "HEY!"

"Good luck, sister," called an attractive blonde sitting next to a 1932 Ford Model-B, "They'll be at it for hours," she drawled on with a Southern accent.

"Well, I gotta stop it. It's m'job to break it up," I sigh and go in to the fray and snatched up the gun barrel of the gangster closest to me, a squat man barely taller than I, "gimme this!"

"Hey! What the hell you think you're doin'?" he demanded. Most of the violence had calmed, and an uneasy silence fell over the fighters as if they thought something horrible was set to happen.

"I'm doin' m'job, now shut it!"

"Why, I oughta knock your head clean off your shoulders!"

"Oh, bite me, midget!"

"You know who I am?"

I glanced him over carefully, but quickly, "My guess would be that yer Babyface Nelson. Now pipe down, 'r I'll call the FBI on ya," I turned from him, "To the rest o' ya, Ya need t' quit this fightin'! Y'ain't on the streets no more. Y'c'ain't be pumpin' these walls so full o' lead!"

"Where the hell is we anyway?" asked another man with a somewhat sinister smile, who was frankly way too inside my personal bubble.

"The New York Museum of Natural History," I said, trying not to sound nervous, "You'd be?"

"Karpis. Alvin Karpis," creepy smile...

"Oh, well in that case... c'n I get yer gun then?"

He backed a little, "You gat take it from me," he said in a voice that made me not sure he was joking.

"Accio, Gun," I whispered, and it zoomed in to my hand, "As it were, I'll need all o' ya to turn in yer firearms, n' yer knives 's well 's any brass knuckles or bombs ya moight've tucked away on yer persons."

"Why are we gonna listen to you anyway?" asked a man who had since the fighting stopped, been joined by the jane form the Ford.

"Because I'm an International Agent 'n I c'n have it fixed so y'at you'll not wake up 'gain." I assumed silently, and of course correctly that he was Clyde Barrow, and the girl was Bonnie Parker.

clyde's eyes narrowed, "You're a fed?"

"No," I rolled my eyes, "You mortals have no imaginations, even in practically immortal formats. Neith'r I nor those what work wif me function within one gov'rnment. The ones I work fer're the one what the gov'rnments feel the need to answer to. Get me?"

"Not entirely," admitted a man with a lazy eye lid.

"It's complicated. I'd be glad to explain it but you gotta swear to quit beatin' on eachoth'r. Check yer guns 'n oth'r armaments 'n I'll tell ya wha's fer."

They did as I asked and I gave them the ten cent tour of the joint.

While doing this I was observing the noobies. I was slowly able to gain introductions of each. There were only minor differences betwixt the crims of the 20's and those of the 30's. The main difference was the manner of speech.

The Chicago Syndicate spoke in a verbally more educated and elloquant manner, with no clear regional accent other than that it was northern. Luciano, the one with the drooped eye, and man credited with the organization of the five families of New York, as well as the head of the Geneva Family, still held a touch of New York in his voice, as did Capone, Ricca and Nitti, but with them it was barely noticable, except for in certain words.

The bankrobbers spoke for the most part, in rough english, mostly rural, though Dillinger was able to make his rural Indiana accent rather charming. There was dirt in their voices.

Capone of course needed no real intro. I knew him right away. He wasn't his younger self at all, but rather the older rounder, globally accepted version of himself. He was also colored, instead of monochromatic. His trademark white fedora sat on his head.

I tried like hell not to act like I knew or had missed him. But he looked at me like he was trying to remember something that his mind had long since let slip out of grasp.

With Capone there were two other men, Paul Ricca and Frank Nitti. Paul seemed closer to Capone, a better friend, I had known that Capone had been Ricca's best man at his wedding, and that Capone had honestly wanted Ricca to be next in command after Al had been locked up.

Nitti was less of a friend, more of a business partner. It was Nitti who would hire people to do the killing what Capone needed done. He'd been Capone's successor, though as more of a political figure head.

Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd wasn't really as pretty was one would think he was. He wore a blue suit and his hair was pretty well groomed and he wasn't really ugly, you see, just sorta... normal looking.

John "Red" Hamilton was tall and stuck close to Dillinger and was more or less quiet the whole time, but would speak when he had a question.

The rest of them have already been introduced. It was strange having all these crims following me around the museum. I was sorta sad that Gallucio had not been included in the exhibit. I missed that lug. He were a good soul, or at least he tried.

I'd gotten in them the understanding that they were wax by the time we got to the Egyptology Wing.

Calling it a wing had never sat quite right with me as it was more of a couple of rooms, less so than a wing. The word wing implies a slice of a building.

"And there's the tablet of Ahkmenrah. It's what brongs you to life every , it's big 'n shiney. Don' touch it. Don' steal it. E'en the best 'mongst ya wouln' be able to get 'way wif it. Trust me."

"You tried to steal it or something?" asked a bank robber, Pretty Boy, I think.

"Not I, but others've tried. Not a one succeeded."

"Maybe they wasn't good enough."

"If you steal that tablet, you will be found, and you will be left outside the museum when the sun rises, which as I said before will result in your immediate death. You will turn into a mixture of dust and sand. Yes, it has happen'd to people."

"How does it work?" asked Bonnie.

"It's ancient Egyptian magic. They bound their magic to this tablet to keep it out of unsavory hands. When the Pharaoh Ahkmenrah died, the tablet was entombed with him, though no one is sure why."This could be a possibility for why the civilization collapsed."

"So what, he doesn't wake up?" Ricca asked, motioning to the sarcophagus.

"H''ain't in there now," I sighed.

"So there's some Boris Karlof clown marchin' 'round here?" Nelson asked.

"No. The Pharaoh that acts and speaks rather like Karlof is in DC. Any other questions on the matter? No? Alright, 'n we're walkin'... we're walkin'..." I waved them out of the room, watching until everyone was out, just in case...

The group walked by the Oceanology wing, and looked in awe at the Giant Whale, chilling and floating around in the air.

We ran into Larry at some point in the tour, "Sup, Larry."

"Frankie, these are the new exhibits?"

"Yeah," I run through the quickest of introductions I could with so large a group, before saying, "We've just come from Ahk's room."

"Oh," his brows rose, teasingly.

"He weren't there."

"I know. He's in the lobby. Were you hoping he would be in his room?"

"Yeah, so he c'n 'splain the whole tablet thin' set up better'n me."

"Uh-huh..." Larry teased.

"Oh, shove off," I push him, ""I gotta finish showin' this lot 'bout. So help me 'r move yer arse outta the way."

"Fine, but be good."

I'm leading a tour group of some of the most dangerous crims in history, and he tells ME to be good.

Christ...

I explain the after hours set up, and how they only do weekends now. After the first month they figured to lay off for school, though they still do Sundays, explain that logic to me.

The tour ends in the lobby and I see Ahk over by the desk. He sees me and raises a hand in greeting.

I wave back, hearing a faint whispering behind me.

"Who's that?" asks a voice behind me and I go crimson. I'd forgot all about them.

"Oh, that's the Pharaoh Ahkmenrah."

"So...um, are you goofy on him?" asked Nitti in a way that made me pretty sure it wasn't his question.

"None o' yer flippin' beezwax!"

"So, it that a yes?" asked Ricca, in a slightly less nervous way, making me think it was either his line of questions or Capone's.

"It's no business of yers, sir. That's the place. Any other questions?"

None were posed, so I dismissed them and the crous dispersed.

I slowly meander over to Ahk, where he stood behind the desk.

"Hello, ma'am, Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I'll think o' sumthin', I'm sure," I brushed his fingers with my own.

"Well, don't hesitate to ask."

"I won' it you won'."

The smile fell just a touch, "Frankie... I"

"I'm jokin', Ahk."

"I love you," he said with the same smile.

"Don' look so bummed when ya say tha'."

"I'm not bummed!"

"Ok... sheesh."

"It's just.."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Tell me," I come around the desk and playfully poked his stomach, "Tell me tell me tell me!"

"Why are you..."

"Becoz! tell me!"

"Gods, I forgot how much energy you have."

"Tell me!"

"You are also stubborn."

"Yes, Now tell."

"It's really nothing. I was just thinking."

"'bout..?"

"Things."

"What class of thin's?"

"Our things..."

"Oh... that stuff..."

"Yes," he flushed a little.

I wrapped my arms around his middle and rubbed my nose against his, "It's alright, Sweets... wanna play some scrabble?"

"Always," he joked.

Scrabble is a joke between us, because, while he can speak English exceptionally well, but still has problems with the letters. I like the game, but I am bad at it, and with him it is better to play games that don't involve letters, llike BS, the card game. That's always fun, especially since it took him a good while to be convinced to lie about his cards.

He handled losing games better than I honestly had thought he would. Of course,the main reason I had assumed this was based on the stereotypes of young royals. It was my own mistake. I should have known better.

He was a good fellow, in honest truth. Being in his presence was rather like what I imagine going to church is like for the people who do that.

He was a grace to beholden.

I knew we would be here for about a month. By the end of that time, I wanted, more than anything to be with him.


	5. What Do His Wives Know Anyway?

**AN: Begining now, there will be some manner of intimacy, though not in the way you may expect. enjoy. Artist concepts of Frankie's clothing and the basic settings of Ahk's dream can be found on my deviantArt gallery. My user name there is the same as it is here: pinkxjellybean.**

RIKKI'S POV

Our original orders were to stay for three weeks but I got this feeling we would be told to stay longer. I knew this was ridiculous to think so and I forced the idea away. I decided that the idea had spouted from the news that the vampiric assassin was still on the loose. The thought was ridiculous because we had already failed to handle this problem.

Until about a month prior to our arrival, it was noticed that the homeless population was on the decline. Politicians were eager to take credit for the drop of, and no one really ever questioned where the homeless were going.

They just disappeared.

I told Frankie to enjoy her lover's company for as long as she could because we would be gone for sure at the end of those three weeks when we were relieved of duty.

Period.

AHKMENRAH'S POV

Frankie didn't leave my side when she wasn't monitoring the new ones during the weekends, or sometimes just when they were around the rest of us, to be sure they were properly adapting, which they were of course.

They were for the most part model citizens, though there was the odd fight here and there.

When she was off duty she was with me. She was perfect in every single way, straight down to the little dimples in her cheeks.

I would hold her in my arms as close as I could, and kiss the top of her head and whisper to her. I would say things to her that I would never say to anyone, any woman.

We could speak solely in whispers, we were so close.

I was so in love with her that there was not a way I could think of that could have been more perfect. We were still chaste, but I didn't care, as I never have.

At least, not as much as she still cared.

She let my hands wander, sometimes placing them where I wouldn't dare lay them, over her shirt, for example.

The first time she did that, I wasn't sure what to do, and I pulled away.

The next time she wouldn't let me pull away, "Stay." She whispered in my ear, and released my hand. The curve under my hand felt unnaturally good. Frankie in my arms was warm and soft. I kissed the small line of skin that was exposed at the bottom of her shirt, making a trail of kisses, until the hem of her skirt rippled up and I stopped.

By the gods I wanted her.

The soft flesh, the soft full mouth. The prefect shape that fit right in my hands and my arms.

She sat up and pulled her loose tank top up over her head and laid back on the bench, smiling.

I hesitate, not wanting to rush or do anything wrong.

Frankie pulled me down on top of her by the collar of my ushek.

She wrapped her whole body around me, warm and inviting. I cupped her face and I kissed her. I wanted this. I wanted her. In this moment of weakness my resolve slipped and by body reacted to the temptation that was dangled in front of me.

I felt the blood rush and I lept back, pressing my hands to my face, and took deep breaths.

"Y'alright?" she asked, sitting up.

"Yes," I said quickly.

"Coz... ya know I c'n do somethin' 'bout... yer lil friend..." her hand rested on my knee, moving slowly up.

I snatched her hand, "No... thank you... but no. I can not allow..."

"Ya c'n indeed, sweets. Lemme tend t'ya, Ahkie," she slipped the strap of her bra down off her shoulder. I stop her hand forcefully, "Stop, please."

She slumped, "Sorry."

"Don't be," I took a deep breath, "It isn't entirely your fault, it was my..." I stop, trying to think of the word.

"Man reaction?" Frankie offers.

"Sure..."

"I would be a poor lover if I left your little friend here unattended to..." she whispered.

"I forbid it!" I said, more forceful than I had intended to.

Her smile fell.

"I don't mean to snap. It's just... I'm embarrassed..."

"Why?"

"Well..."

"Yer man reaction is totally natural."

"Could you leave for a few minutes?"

"No."

"Please?"

She rolled her eyes and pulled on her shirt.

FRANKIE'S POV

I hatched a plan.

A brilliant plan.

I was going to fulfill Ahk's desires by use of magic, both Ancient Egyptian and so called "modern magic".

The concept of Ba and Ka would be my ally in this plan.

If while he were asleep, he dreamed, perhaps I could give him specific dreams and allow them to feel real, more real perhaps than the memories his mind played over and over in his sleep cycle.

I put the spell-mark in charcoal in his sarcophagus and cast the spell over the place where he slept. I pricked my fingertip and let the drop of blood fall onto the mark, binding myself to the spell. I was as bound to the spell as Ahkmenrah.

It was like being an architect in the movie Inception, except more detailed. I built the dream, designed every bit of it, and I had to be in it for it to remain stable. If I wasn't in the dream, it would not exist, since I cast the spell. It would be as if he was just asleep. Unless my spell was removed from the sarcophagus, he wouldn't have his memory dreams.

He would have the dreams I built for him.

It would be like a dream of mine, but while he could feel, I could not.

AHKMENRAH'S POV

I walk down a hallway.

I know this hallway. I've walked it a million times over.

I follow my feet, admittedly curious as to why I am here, yet, while I know that this palace most likely hasn't seen the light of day, or night in thousands of years, it somehow made sense that I was here now.

My feet led me to the rooms which I had once occupied, and on to the one in which I had slept. My hand pushed the door and I entered.

Frankie stood there by the bed, a small smile on her face. She was dressed in white. Her top was cut under her breast and revealing her naval. The neck was cut like a ushek collar in shape, and her skirt had slits down the sides from her hips.

"You're late Pharaoh," she said, playfully.

"I was detained..." this was a dream. It had to be. But it was so real... I removed my crown and placed it on its shelf, "I hope you have not been kept waiting long."

"Not so very. I would wait as long as your highness would require."

I walk around her, "Would you?"

"'Course," She smiled at me over her shoulder at me. She turned to face me, "What would the Pharaoh like t' do tonight?"

I studied her. the dimples and freckles were all right. they were hers.

She glanced at me under her lidded eyes, "Milord?"

I held her chin and studied her more closely.

Her full red lips sat on the lower part of her face, like a sweet, ripe pomegranate, waiting patiently to be savored.

It was night. It was late.

Why would she be in my room at this hour? She had said that I was late, so there was an agreed time of meeting... here... in my bedroom.

Why had I asked her to be here?

There was no reason I could think of... other than the obvious.

Her fingertips slid slowly over my stomach, "lord?" she whispered.

I grasp her hand, "What do you want to do?" I quickly ask.

Her borws furrow a minute than she says, "I'll settle fer the same thin' we do e'erynight, Pharaoh."

"Don't call me that," the words pour from my mouth, "With you, I cease to be a king. I am only myself."

"Very well, Ahk, " she said smiling.

I grasped her face and I kissed her red lips. She was mine. I wanted her. I had asked her to be here, and she had been here.

She tugged me towards the bed, and sat down. My hands, nervously, pulled her shirt up over her head, undressing her, mostly without thought, though I admit my hands shook some, even as I undressed myself.

But then... I was naked with her.

I kissed her and hesitated. I was on top of her, pressing her down into the silk covers. every inch of our bodies were visible and vulnerable.

Have I done this with her before? In this dream world, have I known her as a man knows a woman? I can't remember. If I haven't, then she doesn't know my inadequacy...

Yet, she said we did this every night. So she knew, and still she returned.

I should stop now.

I should pull back.

But do I want to?

Frankie's flesh has a soft pink flush over it, yet it still feels chilled. I kiss her neck's crook, and whisper that I love her, and let go of everything I have held back.

The deep wonderful pleasure left me tired and out of breath. I collapsed beside her, gasping for air. She curled into my arms and rested her face against my chest. I hold her tight, as if I was afraid she'd disappear. She looked up at me, with a grin, "That were well worth the lil' prelude you had."

"Yes?" I smiled back.

"Yeah."

She enjoyed it. I pleased her. This knowledge thrills me more than I can say, more even than the action itself. I made love to the woman I loved and she was not left wanting anything. every part of her is satisfied, by me. Me, Ahkmenrah. My wives didn't know what they spoke of.

I am indeed capable of pleasing a wom-

My eyes opened and I am in the dark. I push open the sarcophagus lid.

It was a dream. Nothing more. I had been with her in this dream, and I had forgotten that it was a dream.

But it was the realest dream I had ever had. I had felt everything. Not just her, but the cool metal of my crown, the soft caress of the silk on my bed. The cold stone of the hallways. The warm wind through my window from the river just beyond my window.

Everything.

Frankie walked in briskly, "Hey, sweets." she kissed my cheek quickly.

"Frankie, I had the strangest dream."

"Didya?"

"Yes, it was..." I hesitate. Will she think me crude? "It was about you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you were in my palace."

"in Egypt?"

"No, in Iceland."

"Did ya jus' make a joke?"

"I believe so," I smiled.

"Silly sweets," she kissed me, "so I'm in yer palace 'n..."

"We just, uh, 'chilled'."

"Hmmm, sounds tres kinky. Was it a good dream?"

"Of course."

And just like that she was gone, off to work. I was stunned that my mind had managed to create a replication of her so good as the one that it did.


	6. Akhward

**AN: Again, sorry about the delay in updates.**

FRANKIE'S POV

He was delightful in every way. He was mildly awkward and hesitant in his movements, and caresses, but I loved it, even if I was unable to feel him. The acts themselves were enough for me. We weren't together every time. Some times he would just lay next to me, kissing me and whispering sweet nothings that I stored up as payment for the exhaustion.

I take that back, my true payment was his pleasure. The simple fact that he enjoyed every single second that we spent together in the imaginary world that I hand crafted for him, that he derived from it, the highest level of physical ecstasy was more than I could ever ask.

One day-night he cuddled me to him and kissed my face and just held me.

Somehow when he did that in this dream world, instead of doing other things, it didn't ball me up the way it did when he did it in the real world. It may have bee the simple fact that here, he could do either or.

AHKMENRAH'S POV

Over the course of these two weeks Frankie was noticeably tired looking. When I asked what was the problem, she just waved it off, and said, "I been up 'lot fer work, y'know?"

"You need to get more rest," I lightly pressed the dark shadows under her eyes, which admittedly, might have not been so apparent if her skin hadn't been so light. After that she covered the dark circles with powder, concealer, she called it.

The old saying, out of sight out of mind applied here. I didn't ponder her sleeplessness when she covered the signs of it.

One night, I woke in my sarcophagus, and began to push my way out, when I noticed a smudge. No not a smudge. A small, precise black symbol made in charcoal.

It was a spell mark, and I could tell it was Frankie's. Not many used charcoal for their marks, as I understood it. Most used chalk. Rikki was often attempting to convert Frankie to the use of chalk, to little avail.

She had literally put a spell on me.

She came in to see me soon after, "'Ello, sweets," she went up on her toes to kiss me, but I did not reciprocate. She looked up at me, "Wha's wrong?"  
"There's something that I must inquire after."

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Come," I led her by her hand to my sarcophagus, where the lid lay open.

She seemed to hesitate, and pull loose of my grasp.

"Please," I gestured to the sarcophagus.

She stood there for a moment, then moved forward to me, and looked in.

"Could you explain this?" I point out the mark to her, partially sure that she could already see it, and positive that she knew what I was talking about.

"It's a spell mark..."

"And how did it get in my bed?"

"I put it there," she said, in a blank, yet somehow proud voice. She stood now at military ease, feet apart, hands behind her back., head tilted back. There was defiance in her.

"Why?" I asked.

"B'coz you want it. It;s a place where y'c'n do's ya please 'n bear no guilt fer it."

"I want you, not something you made up. It's the same as me using you."

"Yer always sayin' that, 'n I'm always remindin' ya that it's not so if it's me own doin'."

"I don't want that to be the way it is between us! I better than that for you. Could you even feel it?"

"Naw, but you could, 'n that were m' purpose. Why's it matter, anyhow?"

"Why does it matter to you?" I asked back.

She stared at me, silently.

"I want you to take the spell away," I said, "And never put another spell on me, for whatever reason."

She climbed in the sarcophagus and wiped the mark away with her sleeve, looked at me, mildly huffing, then walked away.

It took a moment for me to realize that I had just given up the greatest gift she had ever given me.

Well, on of them.


	7. New Friends and enemies

**AN: Here's a kinda long chapter. Enjoy it, then, maybe review? Thanks.**

FRANKIE'S POV

By the time the new pair of Agents came to the museum, Ahk and I were speaking again, and more than that, we had resolved all differences. Plus, we'd finally gotten every ink worked out of the Crims, well, every workable one.

I was delighted when I saw who was to replace us, because I knew that the museum, and Ahk especially, would be safe with them.

One was a tall African America man with an afro which extended out beyond his head. His chin and upper lip showed a light fluffing of hair. He wore a white button down over a black under shirt. His pants were a dark linen that tucked into his boots.

The girl was his apprentice had light brown hair with a streak of blue in front. A pair of goggles hung around her neck like a sorta abstract necklace. Her shirt was black and white striped. She wore dark jeans and chucks.

TM and his apprentice Riley.

I squealed and hugged them both. I knew them from Magwitch. Riley had been my friend after the dark times. Before that, he thought, like Rikki, that there was no good to me in the least.

We jammered on and on, Riley and me.

RIKKI'S POV

"TM," I shook his hand, glad to see him, and satisfied at the choice for our replacement.

"Rikki..."TM glanced at Frankie and Riley. Frankie was showing off her beau, practically bouncing with excitement, "It's strange..."

"What is?"

"How little they've changed since... you know..."

"Yes. I know... I've pondered it many a time."

"She doesn't know does she?"

"No. Why should she?"

We fell into discussion then about the accomplishments of the apprentices under our command. TM carried on about the major threats Riley had handled, such as demons, dark wizards, and a djinn. I tried not to make little Frankie's accomplishments by comparison, but for the most part failed. It really isn't her fault that she has received mostly benign assignments. You see, she has her own mind and opinions about things, and while this would often be a good thing, in our case it wasn't. All a train of free though brought you in this business was the wrath of the superiors.

The result of the wrath is a lack of glory and renown, which in all honesty is a better way to live life. When no one knows who you are, the job is easier because no one is ever looking for you.

After a while, I shouldered my pack, "Well, we'll just get out of your hair then. Frankie, come on!"

TM looked confused suddenly, "Where are you going?"

"In all honesty, I'm not sure, we haven't received our next orders, but I'm sure we'll get them soon."

He laughed, "You haven't received new orders because your orders haven't changed."

"Excuse me?"

"We're here to work with you, not replace you. Did they not tell you?"

I glance over at where Frankie is kissing her lover goodbye, "Frankie!"

Ahkmenrah jumped back from her, blushing. Frankie pouted at me.

"We aren't leaving."

"Huh?" Frankie asked.

"We're still on the case. We aren't going anywhere."

Frankie dropped here bag and squealed excitedly, leaping on to Ahkmenrah.

TM smiled, "She really hasn't changed at all."

FRANKIE'S POV  
We spent a good deal of time going over the evidence we had on our killer. Zeo had been able to create a more detailed profile of our guy, and yes, by now it was safe to assume that he was in fact a he.

"Says here he most likely has a distaste for women, possibly even hates them," Riley said scanning the profile, "Sounds like a charming sorta fella."

"The venom sample links him to a renegade vampire from about fifty years ago who infected a mass amount of people to satisfy her... uh... physical desires..." I explained.

"So she had an army of vampire men?" TM asked.

"And women," I replied calmly, "Anyway, she went berserk and got herself caught, resulting in her imminent execution along with some of her children due to the fact that she let them run wild and they infected people in turn. The venom samples links the killer directly to her, meaning he was one of her creations, rather than a grandchild. The Vamps thought they had all of her infectants accounted for, but turns out they missed at least one. Hence, the lack of registration on him.

"More recently he has struck younger victims, girls in their late teens seem to be his fancy. He specifically seems to fancy private school girls, my guess's he likes the uniforms, and at first he seemed to stay strictly to them, but he has become less discriminatory in his methods, and is willing to go for any teens so long as they're janes."

"So... what you're saying is he likes girls about the age of you and Riley, and that there is a likelyhood that he has disciples already, and that he's in the market for more?" TM asked once more.

"Yeeaaaaaah..." I said, clearly nervous about what that question entailed.

"Then if we were to put agents into a school which had yet to have any reported incidents, we may be able to stop him?"

"Yes!" Rikki said, excited.

We tried Public School for a day, just to try it out, and decided it wasn't for us based on the following conversation.

Riley: I don't think that's the school for us.

TM: Why?

Riley: (lists off things that went wrong)... and one guy asked us if we... (leans over and whispers in TM's ear)

TM: (disgusted and outraged) Where was your teacher?  
Frankie: That was the Teacher...

And that was how Riley and me ended up going to Holy Trinity Catholic School for Girls. We attended the school as charity cases, which automatically made us oh so popular. In case you can't tell, that was sarcasm.

Ahk liked the uniform though... and I wasn't sure whether or not that meant that we ought to add him to the suspect list based on this information, but then, I really couldn't blame him because, well, who doesn't like Catholic School Girl outfits. I know I do.

RILEY'S POV

Considering that we were in a Catholic School, Frankie's bisexuality made me honestly nervous, because the religious zealots generally don't take well to alternate sexual preferences. I was waiting for when we would have to go to services at the school's chapel and have a priest pour fire and brimstone down on us, because I wanted to see Frankie's reaction to it all. I didn't imagine it going well, as she made only minor efforts to not follow the girls about the school with her eyes.

I pushed her arm to make her stop it, "You're gonna get yourself kicked outta here!"

"Oh noes!" she said sarcastically.

For the most part our schedules were exactly the same. But we already knew most of the information they were giving us, due to the fact that we already had high school degrees. As Frankie, known in the school by the alias Amy Marshal, was in no real rush no befriend anyone in the school, she made an enemy on her first day, which is the long and short of how she ended up in a fight with five guys, each twice her size, after school, while I was getting my books out of my locker.

She was actually doing pretty well from what I understand. I had a hard time seeing through the thick mosh pit that surrounded the fighters, as the students from both the girl's and the boy's school were gathered here.

The video was up on YouTube within a few hours, which proved Frankie was way more badass than the football players could ever hope to be. Once she was done, there was one left standing... sorta...

She glared at him until he sorta limped away. There was a tenseness until the lookout announced that the nuns were coming...

Frankie was limping so I helped her through the moving crowd of students who were quickly leaving the area, when a voice called out, "Frankie!"

She looks back at the source of the voice, a boy of maybe fourteen who was running to her side, "You kicked ass in there!"

"Thanks, Nicky," she grinned crookedly, "but could you call me Amy?"  
"Are you undercover?"

"Yeah, Riles, this is Nick, Larry's son, Nick, this's Riley, also to be known as Bailey for the sake of our mission."

"Pleasure," I smiled.

"I like your streak," Nick said.

"Thanks."  
We helped Frankie back to the museum, and Nick asks, "What'd you do to piss those guys off so much?"

Frankie scoffs, "T'hell if I know."

"Don't cuss," I said.

"Mayhaps it has somethin' t'do wif our new friends," Frankie slurred.

"God, your accent's even harder to understand when your mouth's swollen up," Riley said.

When Rikki sees me, she flips shit, "What the hell happened to you?"

I note the sun setting, "Y'oughta see th'oth'r bitches," I chuckle.

"I'll get the ice, and the spell book. Don't wander off."

"Aww, coz I feel like a le'surely stroll through th' park."

Just about everyone's awake now, and wanting to know what happened to me. TM sits me up on the Information Desk.

"Got in a fight."

"Surely not!" Teddy exclaimed, "Fighting is improper and hardly a way to solve disputes!"

"So...San Juan Hill was..." Frankie said, "An' anyway it weren't like I jus' wen' up tot hose footballers n picked a fight! It was self-defense!"

"You picked a fight with Footbal players?" Ricca asked, "You offa yer nut?"

"Di'n I jus' say that weren' th' way o' it?" Frankie growned, as Rikki pressed the ice pack to Frankie's face and told her to hold it there.

Ahkmenrah is unamused by the tale that Frankie then tells, "They ought to be punished!" he proclaims.

"Oh, they have been!" Nick exclaimed, "You should have seen her! She was all..." he flails his limbs about, trying to imitate Frankie's martial art skills.

People began to clear out, some chuckling, some tisking disdainfully.

I laugh, as does Frankie, but Ahkmenrah is sullen, and he shakes his head.

"You shouldn't have to tolerate such things!"

"I di'n'!" Frankie protests, "Two boys've bust'd knees, one has a dislocated shoulder, 'n one may n't be able t' have children!"

He just looks at her, "And you could have died!"

"Not bloody loikly!" she shouted, then winced, and held the ice to her mouth. It became apparent that he seemed to doubt her ability to take care of herself... ahahahahahahahahahaaa!

"Well, you could get in trouble!"

"Five boys 'gainst one girl, 'n I'm th' one in trouble?" she snorted.

"She got Juin Phillips mad," I said.

"Oooooh," Nick said, "No wonder those guys jumped you, the blonde one's her boyfriend, Zeke Petersen."

"You really need to quit sayin' these names like I know who they're" Frankie muttered, "Why sould I even care?"

"Because they can clearly do you harm!" Ahkmenrah said, clearly agitated.

"I don' care!"

"If I had been there-"

"Well, y'were'n't."

Something comes over his face and I can tell Frankie automatically regrets her words, but she isn't going to take them back because she's right. He wasn't there, but it wasn't meant to be a big deal.

Ahkmenrah stormed off.

FRANKIE'S POV

I sit there, kinda mad at him for being such a drama queen. It's a simple fact, he wasn't there.

It takes Rikki almost an hour to fix me up. She has to make sure the bruises on my face won't disappear too fast, but has to decrease the swelling, I could at least walk by me onesie.

I go to were Jed and Octavius were chilling.

"Whassup, dudes," I plop down next to their car.

"Ya know yer Pharaoh's fit to be tied," Jed said.

"Yeah yeah yeah. I know. You guys were there, was I right?"

Jed said yes at the same time that Octavius says no. Jed glares at Octavius, "She did nothin' but state the truth."

"I'm not disputing the truth of the fact, just whether or not she should have said it," Octavius said.

"Why shouldn't she have said it?"

"Because it is the nature of man to be protective. He loves her and wants to protect her. Yet, Frankie reminded him, nay threw it in his face, that he is unable to do so!"

"She didn't say all that! Pharaoh boy was startin' to say what he would do in her situation and she was sayin that he wasn't her! He's just bein' a crybaby."

The two go back and forth.

After ten minutes or so, I excuse myself. Ahkmenrah isn't on the roof, where I'd thought he'd be. He's in his tomb. I glance up at the Anubis Guards, bow, and enter as usual. But instead of bowing back, they cross their spears in front of me, too close for my comfort.

I sigh, "Ahkmenrah."

He doesn't look at me.

"Ahk?" I ask, my voice softer. He still doesn't turn, "I'm sorry. I didn' mean it like that. I jus' didn' wanna lecture, ok?"

He doesn't turn.

"Fine! Lemme know when ya wanna be mature 'bout this!" I turn and run out of the temple.

Men.

I'd rather he argue and yell back than sit there like a baby.


	8. Like A Classy Lady

AHKMENRAH'S POV

Sometimes I can't stand that girl! She calls me immature for not wanting to speak with her, after what she said! She calls me immature. Women.

I admit his, her words hurt me more than I can describe with words. They hurt like a knife. I would rather suffer the pain of death than bear such a painful insult form her again. She doesn't understand. She insults me, then lacks the courage to stay near and address her concerns, the very thing she scolds me for. I wanted to clear my head before I spoke to her about this.

That's why I didn't go to the roof, there was no way to ensure privacy there now. I partially regretted taking her there, but not enough to tell her that she has to leave it and never again return.

It hurt me to lock her out, I admit. It pained me almost as much as the words that echo in my head.

"But you weren't there."

I should have been.

I should have been able to be there for her. I want nothing more than to be able to live my life completely with her, alive as a human. I care too much, I know. I'm too attached to this girl. I love her too much. I love her, but I can not protect her as I've sworn to.

She keeps secrets from me. I can not admit my knowledge of her past, since she doesn't know she has told me, because I had to listen at a door. She didn't tell me. She told Rikki, who already knew, and Sacajewea.

Sometimes when I hold her I can't help but think about her secret. When she falls asleep in my arms, I wonder how someone, anyone, anything, could hurt something so innocent, so beautiful, and so... helpless. Yet, I know many men have hurt her that way.

I wonder then, if when I touch her, does she think about the violation she has suffered? When my hands wander, is she thinking about my hands, or is her mind in another night, where she wasn't consenting.

Why won't she trust me with the truth?

"Because there isn't anything you can do about it." says a cruel voice in my mind.

I want her to speak to me, yet I respond like this when she speaks her mind? No wonder she keeps her secrets.

I get up and go after her. I know where she'll be, "Frankie?" I look around the roof for her, and find her sitting on the edge of the roof, her feet dangling over the four floored space to the cement ground below.I go over to her, "Frankie?"

She looks over her shoulder, and her situation becomes all the more real. I, incapable of death, won't even dare to sit thus. She seems to bear no fear of slipping and falling to the ground. It makes me nervous to look at her there.

She seems more fragile than ever tonight. She turns, sitting to face me, smiling, "Hullo, Ahkie."

She wears normal clothes, but her face is still swollen and discolored.

"I'm sorry," she said smiling.

"I am too," I sit beside her, "You spoke only the truth."

She put her arms around me, "You love me?"

"Of course I do."

She grins, casting a shadow over her black eye, "I love you, too."

I softly touch the dark purple mark, "Does it hurt?"

"No, it don'. Maybe we c'n sic yer guards on those jerks, yeah?"

"Maybe," I smile without humor, wishing I could do as she said, "Do you, uh, do you really think I'm immature?"

"'Course not," she rests her head on my chest, "I'm sorry if I hurt ya..."

I hated those words coming from her lips. There was something simply wrong with them.

I take her face in my hands and I kissed her so I could block out the sadness in her eyes.

RILEY'S POV

I wished Frankie and Ahkmenrah would finish whatever it was they were doing so we could do our homework.

Eventually she rejoins me.

"Where the hell have you been?"

"No where," she says with a goofy dreamy look in her eyes, that look she gets whenever she's been with Ahkmenrah.

She fished out the crumpled English Vocab Worksheet from her bag, the same one that I had just finished, and started copying down the answers from mine. I didn't even bother to tell her off. She was a slacker. If she could avoid doing honest work she would.

When we get to math, our brains screetch to a halt.

"Uhhhhh..." I said.

"It's..." Frankie sits there, dumbfounded.

Capone happened to be passing by at that point, and took pity on us for our perplexed (me), or blank (Frankie's) faces.

"What's this?" he asked.

"The Devil's work," Frankie said, contemptously.

"No it's not. It's easy! Look," he then worked out a complex calc problem on a piece of lined paper with a pen, and without a calculator.

"Um, 're ya secretly a mathematic'l genius 'n ya jus' now decid'd to tell us so?" Frankie asked.

He tried to explain it to us, but he ultimately failed, which led to him being so frustrated that he just did the problems for us. Our lives followed this pattern for a few weeks.

When we're finished, we go to work on our side project.

Capone's car is Frankie's secret lover.

We've been working on it, because, theory follows that with the right parts, the car will work. Al said he'd teach us to drive if we could get the car to run.

Frankie does most, or all of the mechanical work on the car, and I hand her the tool.

Al comes in a few times, "Give up yet girls?" he asked, or something of the like.

One night he comes in and said, "Give it up, Girlies. You'll never get that bus runnin'."

"Watch us," I grin.

"Alright then, don't say I didn't warn youse." he says, walking off, as Frankie slides out from under the car, grease stains stiffening her coveralls.

"Tha' oughta do it," she said.

"You sure?"

"'Course I'm!" she opens the door and sits down, careful of the oil stains on her clothes, "'Ve I ever giv'n you a reason not to trust me?"

"Yes... numerous times."

"Well," she said, hot wiring the car, "ignore those times..."

The motor started to purr.

My jaw dropped, "Frankie, Yer a genius!"

"I know," she climbs out.

Al ran back into the room, dumbstruck, "How..?"

"Elf magic," Frankie said, twirling a monkey wrench like a baton, "You gonna hold up yer end of the deal, boss?"

Al sighed, "I don't guess I got much of a choice on the matter."

"Me first!" I start to leap in the car.

"STOP!" Al's hand catches me by the top of my head, "I am NOT going to let you just jump on in there without havin' a little talk, toots," he has us gather around the hood of the car, where he gently places his hand, "this is not just a car, this is a Cadillac. Cadillacs are like ladies; you gotta be gentle with them."

"But-" Frankie started.

"No questions 'bout it, Babydoll!"

Frankie raises her hand.

Al sighs, "What?"

"What 'bout ladies what like it rough?"

I try not to laugh as the absurdity of the conversation.

Al snarls, "Caddies ain't that type of broad! They're classy!" He goes on for another ten minutes or so about the classiness of the Cadillac.

I put my hand to the chassis to feel the purr, only to have Al snarl, "Don't touch her!"

"If I can't touch, how'm I supposed to drive?" I ask.

Al groans and gets in the car, "This is gonna be a long night..."

Frankie climbs in back and I take the wheel. Seat belts are buckled.

"Now, lightly press the gas," Al instructed me.

I floor it and we go flying down the halls at a crazy speed. I was vaquely aware of Al's voice ordering me to stop. We were all screaming though. The stairs loom ahead of us. We're suddenly flying through the air into the wall by the door.

"Is everyone alright?" I ask, my face pressed against the wheel.

"No?" Al grunts.

Frankie gets up from the ceiling in back, "The airbags di'n' werk?"

"No?" Al asked, not sure apparently what she was talking about.

Then Frankie's major modification to the vehichle went off. The bags, shoving us back. We all squeeze out and Al stares stupified at teh car, "HOW The- Look at this! This car's bulletproof fer chrissakes! Now... the insides are out, the outside are in, and the motor's," he looks around, trying to locate it.

"At least the experimental airbags worked," Frankie said, cheerilly, "E'en if they're a tad delayed..."

"I ain't never gettin' in a car with either of you again!"

"Oh, come on, we c'n fix this, Riles, fix the wall, I'll tend to the bus, yeah?" she chanted a spell and levitated the bus back up the stairs. When she got it back in the room, she came back and hauled the engine up from where it had been stuck in the wall. She carried it on her shoulder, and muttered to herself, "Back t' werk we go." I fixed the wall as she sat in the exhibit, using a spell to reshape the chassis.

We went back to working on the car after school. We leave rather quickly, me dragging her away from any of the many fights that seemed to offer themselves to Frankie.

Her serious lack of respect for the hierarchy of the school led to an even deeper rivalry with Juin, which led to all manner of pranks being played on her. She opened her locker one morning to have something cold, gloopy and wet spill out onto her and all of her belongings.

"What is this?" Frankie asked, tense.

"My guess would be corn chowder..."

Frankie's retaliation was to steal Juin's clothes during gym, which led to Juin sicing Zeke Peterson on her again, which led to Frankie kicking his ass, which led to me taking bets, and Frankie and I then having $246 each.

Eventually frankie got the cadillac running again, then we hunt down Al once the place is cleared, "Al, will ya teach me how t'drive?" she asked.

"Didn't I already say I wouldn't?" he demanded.

"Please?" she asked, looking at him under her lashes. It's almost as if she becomes another person then. She's more of a woman somehow.

Al seems to notice and a faint blush colors his waxy pallor, "Uh... ok?"

"Thanks," the mask is dropped, and she tugs me along to the exhibit, "Meet up in five!"

"What'd you do just then?" I asked.

"Nothin'." Frankie won't look me in the eyes.

"Don't lie! You just elfed!"  
"So? There ain't no harm to it!" she says, smiling, "And anyway, I don' never do it no how!"

Frankie's lesson is similar to mine except for the fact the Al came in to the room in full on Hockey gear, helmet and all. We try not to laugh, but in all honesty, how could we not?"

"Dude, what up with those pants?" I ask, nodding to the Hockey pants he had on.

"Laugh it up, toots, but I ain't going it alone!"

"'Course not..." Frankie gets in behind the wheel.

Al puts in a mouthguard.

It doesn't go all that bad at first, until we get to the stairs, and Al says what sounds like, "Ehtuhrate!"

"Excellerate?" Frankie asked, "Well, ok then..." she floored it and we go over the rail, before landing, as before, upside down.

"Well, at least we had our seatbelts on!" Frankie said.

Al swore to never drive with a woman again, as we went about setting things right again.


	9. India Ink and Bangladesh Murderer?

**AN: So, this is a long chapter that covers three different topics. YAY! The third bit covers some of Ahk's past, and offers some potential explanation for his reactions to Frankie. If you've been choosing to ignore the intimate aspect of their relationship, you can probably just skip that. It follows the x0x0x0x0x0x thingie that will be in bold. Otherwise, the usual rules follow.**

RILEY'S POV  
One day, I was walking back from the bathroom to our art class and as I got to the door, I saw, through the window, a girl with jet black hair beating Juin about the face. It can't be Frankie... Frankie's hair is auburn... but it is. The black in her hair drips on the shoulders of the white uniform shirt she's wearing... I run to the office and say I need to use the phone, because it's an emergency.

I call Rikki at Larry's apartment, "Hello?" she asks.

""It's Justine (my alias), Mrs. O'Brien (Frankie's alias's last name). I think Bailey's (Frankie's Alias first name) in some sorta trouble..."

"What happened?"

"I dunno... I just saw her fighting and wanted to give you the head's up..."

"Ok, thanks."

RIKKI'S POV

The school called less than 20 minutes later. TM was sure to answer, "Smith residence... Yes, she's here..." he handed me the phone.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. O'Brien?"

"Speaking."

"This is Sister Joyce of Holy Trinity Catholic School. Your daughter, Bailey was just involved in an altercation with another girl in her class. You must come into the school immeadiately for a conference."

"well, I am at work just now, and I'm afraid that I can't leave until six thirty or so..."  
"Mr. O' Brien?"

"The same, ma'am."

"Well, then at that time, you may pick up your daughter. Until then she will be serving detention. Good day," Sister Joyce hung up.

"Your husband, eh?" TM asked.

"Yes, he will be attending this conference as well."  
"Who?"

I looked at him levelly.

0x0x0x0x0

At a little before seven, I pull the pretend father into the Sister's office. An old woman in a nun's habit sat behind the desk. She looked sternly at us, "May I help you?"

The man at my side started to turn away. I snatched him by his arm, "We are Bailey's parents..."

"Yes, of course," she stood, and reached out to shake our hands, as she does, she nods the other nun woman from the room, Please sit."

We do, "So, what is all this about?" I ask.

"Your daughter has caused a great deal of trouble for tis school."  
"Well, that most certainly doesn't sound like our daughter..."

She chuckled, "oh, I've never heard that one before."

"What has she done?"

"Before she can explain, the door opens and there stands Frankie. My jaw dropped at the sight of her. Her auburn hair is the black of Indian Ink. Her eyes go wide as she takes us in.

FRANKIE'S POV

In all honesty, when they told me my parents were here, I figured it'd be Rikki and maybe Larry. I wasn't expecting Capone to be sitting there...

"Perhaps Bailey can explain explain the situation," Sister Joyce said form behind her desk.

"Juin got a girl to pour ink on my hair, so I confronted her," I said, looking at the floor.

"Ms. Phillips has a black eye, a busted lip, and you poured blue ink in her hair."

"An eye for an eye..."

"It leaves the whole world blind," Sister Joyce, said, siting Ghandi. She turned back to Al and Rikki, "Were it not for the fact that your daughter was a charity case hand picked by the Arch Diocese, she would be out of this school. But those things alone keep her here."

"I'm so sorry," Rikki said, "Bailey's troublesome, I know, but she's a good girl. This won't happen again."

"You understand that she must still be punished. One week's suspension."

"I understand," Rikki said.

0x0x0x0x0

Al makes this big show of yelling at me all the way down to the door, but once we're outside, he fell quiet.

At the museum, after I change out of my school clothes, I look at myself in the bathroom mirror. I run my fingers through my hair, pondering it. It's not so bad, I guess I could get used to it, but at the same time, I wasn't sure what to think of it, or what Ahk would.

I go down to the lobby but run into Ahk along the way. He stops and stares at me for a long minute.

"Is it that bad?" I ask.

"No... it's just different. I almost didn't know you," he takes a lock of my hair between his thumb and forefinger.

"Do you like it?"

"You know I don't care how you look."  
"So, it is that bad..."

"What do you think of it?"

"I like you the way you were before, but I like you now too."

"Well... It'll wash out soon..."

"Anyway, change can be good. If you like it, then keep it the way it is. I think you're beautiful no matter what," he wrapped an arm around me and kissed my brow."

"If you say so," I start to walk, "I'm off to visit Jed and Octavius. I'll see you later?"

"Of course," he kisses my cheek.

I go to the Hall of Miniatures. It was Friday. People wander through. Jed was giving a mini lesson on Manifest Destiny. A boy in front with a crew cut asked how Jed planned to expand when he was stuck in box.

"That's just a minor setback..." Jed replied, dismissing the question.

He sends them off and it kneel in front of the case, leaning on my arms.

"Christ, what you done to your hair, girl?" Jed asked.

"I, uh, dyed it... What do you think?"

He shrugs, "Eh, it's a'ight..."

Octavius climbs over, along the ledge, "My lady-!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, my hair's dyed," I say.

"Why? I don't get it!" Jed demanded.

I shrug, "Felt like it."

"Uh don't believe you."

"Why not?"

"I just don't."

I sigh, "Ok, this girl poured ink in my hair, which turned it this color."

"What?"

"How barbaric!" Octavius declared.

"Where's this kook live?" Jed asked.

"How th' hell should I know?" I ask back.

"Why would you want to know?" Octavius asks.

"Soes I can open up a can of whoop ass on her?" Jed said.

"It's all underway," I assure him.

Octavius nodded, "Leave this to Frankie. What could you do anyway?"

"What parta can of whoop ass escapes you?" Jed inquired.

"The part where you explained how you intend to do that..."

"The heck she gonna do about it?"

"Well... step on us... you see, we are very small..."

Jed sulked at that idea, "Maybe..."

I chuckled, "Okay..."

"Your hair looks fine," Octavius went on, "but I must advise you not to do anything... rash..."

"I make no promises..."

"Of course not..." he started back to his exhibit, "you never do... Excuse me..."

"Where are you going?"

"He's off to see Joan of Arc. He's sweet on her."  
"I am not!" Octavius said, his face turning almost as red as h is cloak.

"There's no reason to get your toga in a bunch."

"Yeah, Jeanne's cute," i shrug, "If I wasn't spoke fer..." I notice the two of them looking at me weird, "What?"

"Nuthin'..." Jed says slightly uncomfortable.

Octavius backs out of the room.

"'S there a problem wif me likin' girls 'n boys."

Jed just sorta blinked, "Uhhhh... no?"

"I should hope not," I narrow my eyes, then smile,and at that I left, as a new group was coming, and I wanted to allow Jed his spotlight.

0x0x0x0x0

I had a full week of no school, that went way too fast. I went to meet Riley after school everyday to walk home. as usual, some days Nick walked with us, others he didn't. But that Thursday we were hungry, so we went to Subway to get sandwiches. We leave as soon as we can because the cashier was someone we knew. He had worked at the Subway near my school in DC. I had regaled the others with storied of his creepiness, and now... he was here. We ran the whole way to the museum, and get there a little before sunset.

TM looked up as we ran through the door, "What's up?"

"Creeper at Subway... works at subway..." I gasped out of breath.

"Yeah... that would be the reason for calling him the Creeper at Subway..."

"No, I mean, he's in New York. He works at the Subway near Trinity..." I said.

"What? Do you think- Could he be our-"

"Killer?" Riley asks, "Maybe," she stuck a new piece of gum in her mouth.

"But there's no proof of it..." Rikki said, she said looking at me, "Frankie, are you ok?"

I nod quietly.

"What's wrong, Frankie?" Riley asked.

"Nothin' it's jus'... he fits the profile; a disrespect for women, and a preference for teenaged girls... he could be th' one we've been lookin' fer."

"Isn't he from India?" TM asked.

"Bangladesh," I corrected.

"The first infector had exotic tastes, right?"

"All this evidence is circumstantial at best," Rikki said.

"So, put surveilance on this guy," Larry offers.

"This isn't Law and Order, Leslie. We don't have time to sit around and watch this guy if there's no evidence that he's the guy."

"B'coz it's such a better idea to jus' sit here 'n twittle our thumbs!" I said, "We got a decent lead, 'n I say we follow it."

"You'll do no such thing! You'll follow orders!"

I narrow my eyes, "Fine..."

RILEY'S POV

So, remember ho we were forbidden from watching this guy?

Well, guess what we were doing?

Yeah, we were watching his apartment from a shady alleyway, after following him home, while hoping he wouldn't see us. Sounds super safe right? I know!

"We shouldn't be doing this..." I said.

"My guts say this's the guy," Frankie said, "Trust me!"

And like a fool, I do, as always. We find out he's got an apartment in the Bronx.

"Can we go now?" I ask, impatient to get out of here, where we aren't supposed to be.

"Okay," frankie says, "You g'on, i'ma watch."

"What do I tell them, then?"

"That I'm sick 'r somethin'. Make somethin' up..." she said.

I leave her there, though I honestly didn't want to...

FRANKIE'S POV

It's a dull few hours, watching this guy, but I know he's the one. I just know it. It's too much coincidence, you know?

I know it's him. So I watch that night, and the night after that, and a few hours every night for a week. But he doesn't do anything, or show himself. So I wait.

On the last night, I'm just about to give up when a voice comes to my ear, "What's a girl like you doin gin a place like this?"

I gasp. It's him. He got out, and I didn't even see him! He's pulling me back into the alley way. His hands hold my arms to my sides with more strength than a man his size should have. I'm right it's him.

The brick wall's at my back. He's in front of me, red eyes, like blood, glinting. His face is close to mine, so close, I can feel the warmth of his breath and smell his sour smell.

"What are you doing here, little girl?" he asks, "Are you looking for someone?"

I can't speak. This isn't what I thought would happen. I figured I'd save someone who needed it, but I'd not imagined that I'd be the one who'd need saving... again. How does it always come to this?

His hand brushes the hair away from my neck, gingerly, and feels my neck. His flesh burns. I have to get away somehow, "Hmmmm," he sighs, "Eldar blood... I have yet to sample it. You will be the first elf I have tasted, Little girl."

There's a knife in my boot...

I act quick, snatching it from the scabbard, and slashed at his mouth. He would heal fast, I knew, but I only needed the second. I lept up and grasped the fire escape high above my head and pulled my self on to the roof. I apparated away from that place, to the museum, more specifically Ahk's temple because that's the place that happened to pop into my head.

Ahk stood before me, a surprised expression on his face, as I had nearly slammed into him upon reapparating, "oh, hey, sweets..."

"Frankie, I thought you were ill..."

"Well, I was... but I'm better now, and I missed you terribly."

"Did you?" he asks, brow raised.

"Well, if ya don' wanna see me, I c'n go..." I said, starting away, smiling teasingly.

He snatched me back, "Who said I wasn't glad to see you?" he slipped his arm around my waist, and cradling my head, he kissed me, "Ya know, yer gettin' really good at that..." I whispered.

"Hm?"

"I mean, yer a fast learner."  
"What? After two years, a Neanderthal would be able to figure it out!"

"You'd be surprised..." I whispered.

I'd work on figuring out how to tell Rikki about the killer later...

**x0x0x0x0x0x**

The next night I was in his exhibit with him, running a hand through his hair, and leaning back in the door of his tomb, "I read somewhere that it was a huge deal to see the Pharaoh's hair..."

"Yes..?"

"How many people in yer time saw yer hair, after you were Pharaoh, I mean."

"Maybe ten... why?"

"Makes me feel special."

"THAT'S what makes you feel special?" he laughed, and kissed me, "Would that you had been born in my time, and in my land. I would've made you my wife. My only one."

"I didn' think it w's much up t' ya," I said.

"Well, I could choose some wives. As it was, all mine were arranged for me, because I met no women that interested me enough to want."

"Sometimes I feel like yer full of it," I admitted, "I know almost beyond a doubt that there were women you lusted after, even if they were dumb as doorknobs."

"Well, yes, of course, however, I didn't have exceptional self esteem,and while yes, I did desire some women, I didn't act upon those desires."

"I still don' get why you were so down on yerself. I'm sure women fair threw themselves in your path."

"I admit, I wish it were so, but many of my people didn't hold me in especially high regard. There were rumors that I was less than a god, which was unacceptable for a Pharaoh. The lack of an heir was an oddity to say the least."

"So, you never loved anyone?"  
"There was one woman that I might've almost loved, if I had been given more time to know her. Her name was Chiarah. She was like a slave, yet she was not. She lived in my harem,but on,y because she did me a kindness without knowing who I was. I spoke with her sometimes. She was uneducated, and not intellegent, or exceptionally attractive... but she was kind."

"Did you 'n her..."

"I lay with her once, yes, but I regretted it."  
"Why?"

"It was her first time, and I hurt her. I didn't mean to..." he looked ashamed.

"It would've hurt no matter what. It always does," I said, trying to help

"She was my friend, Frankie... my friend. I figured, maybe, with someone who knew me before... that it would be... but I hurt her. She wasn't royal, or noble. She had never been trained to hide her emotions... she cried out...and I didn't know what else to do... I stopped. I never touched another woman. I couldn't bear to talk to her after that... it was too akward. I released her from the harem after a week, with a pension. I never saw her again."

I wasn't sure what to say. Was this why he shied from me? He'd never known it to be good... He was like me. He was so ashamed of this. He had tired so hard to find someone who could bear to be with him, and had never been able to, not even with someone who cared about him. i was willing to bet he had never told anyone this before...

I tried to smile and kiss him, tenderly, "Y'alright?"

"Yes, I guess..." there was an emptiness in his eyes that hurt my soul, "I just haven't thought on this in a while."

I didn't know what to say to make this better. I just wrapped my arms tighter around him and kissed his face, and told him that I loved him.

His eyes shone when he looked at me, "Do you understand now? I don't want to hurt you... or... bore you... I want you to be happy with me, but I don't know if you can ever be."

"Ahk, none o' those thin's were yer fault. Ok? Yer wives were sour ol' birds, 'n Chiarah were a virgin, none o' that's in yer control, sweetheart. Don' give up on yerself. Rememb'r I've been with ya."  
"Yes, in a dream word where you couldn't feel it, which isn't all that different from the real world," he stepped away from me.

"Which isn't yer fault either! Hold tha' 'gainst me, not you," I stepped closer to him again, "Ya jus' need some practice. We both do," I smiled at him, and kissed his cheek.


	10. Past Orders Have Been Ignored

**AN a considerably shorter chapter, but no less important. Warnings of Christmas fluff (which will be continued), and Vampiric ne'er do well.**

FRANKIE'S POV

"I know fer a fact tha' Subway Creeperman's a vamp..." I said one night to Rikki.

"And how would you know this?" she asked, regarding me with her piercing eyes, "You watched him, didn't you? After I expressly forbid you from doing so?"

"I check'd th' Vampiric Registry, 'n h'ain't in it."

"That doesn't make him our rouge," Rikki said.

"'Re ya purposefully obtuse? 'R 's it jus' an inpropitious occurance?"

She narrowed her eyes at me, "Leave that man alone."

"But I know it's him!"

"That's why you have proof?" she asked, sarcastically.

"Why ain't ya e'en willin' to consider the possibility?"  
"Because it is not a possibility. You are basing your case on you r personal biases!"

"I'm basin; it on the fact tha' he's a vamp what fits the profile, 'n what ain't in the registry!" I said, barely holding my anger in check.

"Leave him be!" she orders.

"But I-"

"No buts! Follow the orders I give you! You get hurt when you don't follow my orders, or have you not noticed?"  
"You gave me orders involvin' a certain Pharaoh. I heeded those orders not, 'n I ain't been hurt by 'em."  
She sighed, "Your insistance to disregard my personal feelings regarding your relationship with Ahkmenrah is an ongoing thing. I wouldn't assume that there will be no ill effect from it, at this juncture if I were you."

RILEY'S POV

The night after Frankie and Rikki have their debate, I'm not at the museum. i would have prefered it, in all honesty, to what I was actually doing. i had detention. I didn't even do what I was being blamed for. When I left school it was dark.

I walked towards the trains, when he grabbed me, "So, we meet again..." he whispers, pulling me into the dark of the alley way.

"What do you want?" I ask him, though in truth, I already know.

"Just a taste," he breathed on my neck.

"Too bad," I shoved him back, "I don't put out on a second date."

His red eyes narrowed, "I need to feed, and you're a public servant. I thought perhaps we could come to an agreement of sorts..."

"what sort of agreement?"

"I want blood, and you want the killings to cease. Give me your blood."

"So you kill me instead of someone else?"

"I didn't ask for your life," he said, sounding disgusted, "I could have taken that already if I wanted it. I just want enough to survive. Come with me."

"If I refuse?"  
"I'll find someone more compliant. Your friend looks tasty..."

I stiffen, "Leave her."

"Then give me substance," he ordered.

He would hurt Frankie. He'd kill her or worse, turn her for his harem. I shrug down the shoulder of my coat and blazer and shirt, "Don't leave marks where they'll see 'em."

"As you ask," his fangs sunk into my flesh, making me gasp. I can hear the sound of him sucking in my blood, my life substance. He made horrible slurping sounds that make me feel nauseous.

When I start to feel dizzy, I push him, "No more," and he's gone.

Just like that.

I go to Larry's apartment, and I go to sleep. I don't want to see anyone, or anyone to see me. I was afraid they would know.

FRANKIE'S POV

They decorate the Museum for christmas, and the duty of explaining the holiday to Ahk falls to me.

"I understand the basic idea of it. The christian savor was born during this holiday, correct?" he asked, sitting next to me on the floor of his tomb.  
"No, he was actually born sometime in th' late summer," I said, "But it's meant t' repr'sent his birthday, yes."

"And yet the world is not saved," Ahk said.

"I mean, I've heard arguments for both sides. I'm personally a pagan, so... yeah. But I still celebrate christmas, because it's more of a cultural thing now a days."

"So on this holiday, people exchange gifts?"

"Well, yeah, but it's s'posed t'be 'bout spendin' time wiv family 'n loved ones."  
"Are you going home to your family?"

"You crazy? 'Course not. I ran away, 'member?"

"Then it is safe to assume that you will be free that night?"  
"No."

"No?"

"No, I'll be here wiv you, if ya want me to. It's jus' yer my loved one, 'n I wanna be here wiv ya. Can't think o' no one else that I'd wanna spend Christmas wiv," I said taking his hand.

He smiled, "So..."he pulled me on to his lap,"What do you want for Christmas, little girl?"

I laughed,"Nothin' you c'n buy, Sweets."

"You would be surprised what I can buy..."

"I don' need nothin'. 'N I'm broke so I can't get you nothin' so I'll feel bad if I get anythin' from you. Promise y' won't get me anything?"  
"I swear... I will not buy you anything."

"Seriously. Don' make me feel like a bad girlfriend."

"I won't!" he smiled, "Have I not given you my word?"

"I guess..." I looked down, smiling.

He cuddled me close, making my shoulder press against his collar, "My dear girl," he whispered into my hair, "I will weep the day you must leave me, and when I must let you go."

"By then you might be sick of me..."

"Never."

"I will always come back to you, sir."

"Sir? What is this; Charlie Brown?"  
"You watch Charlie Brown?"

"Sometimes it pleases me to read the funny papers..." he said, almost blushing.

"Never would've figured."


	11. Best Christmas To Date

**AN Happy Holidays everyone! As I'm a poor college student, this chapter is my gift to all. It even has educational value! I read somewhere that egyptians didn't like using silverware. I haven't really found anyway to verify that, but let me know if you can, or if you can dispell it. Also, Ahk's gift was a semi-popular one three thousand years ago.**

FRANKIE'S POV

On Christmas morning, I slept in. Around noon, I woke up and made myself a cup of tea. Rikki was already awake, drinking her coffee, and reading her paper.

"Merry Christmas," I murmur.

"Happy Christmas, she says back, sliding a parcel across the counter to me.

"Wha's this?"  
"A gold fish," she says in her dryly sarcastic way.

"I didn' get you anythin'..." I said, guiltily.

"Yes, well, you have an excuse, you're poor."

I looked at her, perplexed.

"It isn't going to open itself, you know," she said, getting up and putting her cup in her sink, watching me.

I picked up the package, and tore the brown paper from the box, and opened it. There was a beautiful, pearl handled pistol and a box of bullets made for the gun. I pick it up, "This's beautimus. Thank you."

"When you run out of bullets let me know, I can have more," she's cut off as I hug her, "made."

"Thank you!"

Her arms wrap slowly around me, returning the embrace.

x0x0x0x0x0x

"Hey," Riley says, behind me, "Uh, whatcha doing?"

"I'm packin' supper," I said, taking a few slivers of ham from the plate in the fridge, and putting them in the basket I had on the counter.

"Why?"  
"Coz I'm eatin' my supper wiv Ahk..." I said.

"What?" Riley looked mildly disappointed.

"I'm havin' Christmas supper wiv m' boyfriend. 'S tha' a problem?"

"I thought you were eating with us..."

"Sorry..." I said, not sure what else I could say about it.

"Whatever. It's no big deal," she shrugged.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, totally."

I should've known something was up then and there. Riley had been sorta down and out, and I had noticed, but not really thought anything of it. I figured it was just a mood. No big, right?

x0x0x0x0x0x

I put on my black dress and my jacket, and took my copy of the museum key, which Larry may or may not have known that I had, and got into the museum, which was empty, and went up to Ahk's room a little before sunset.

On the floor, I laid out a blanket, and plates with enough food for the two of us, silverware, and wine glasses, two cans of beer, and my own bottle of Mike's Hard Lemonade.

Larry had at least remembered to remove Ahk's coverstone from atop his sarcophagus, which I was grateful for. He'd be along later with Rikki, TM, and Riley, so the whole museum would have Christmas, too. But I would have my first Christmas with Ahk for just be and him.

When he awoke, he saw me and smiled. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me, "Merry Christmas, Frankie."

"Merry Christmas, Ahkmenrah."

He nuzzled my face and then looked me over, "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," I blushed.

"Do I smell food?"

"Yes," I tugged him over to the feast I laid out for him, "I got all the fixin's of Christmas, wiv a few modifications o' m'own."

"Like this?" he picked up a can of beer.

"Yeah..." I grin, "Figur'd, y'know..."

He popped the can open and sipped down some of the amber brew, "I don't want you to think I'm complaining."

"Naw, 'course not," I said pouring some wine into my glass and his. Then went about serving him, introducing him to turkey, which, apparently he'd never had.

He picked up a sliver of the meat between his fingers and placed it directly in his mouth, ignoring the silverware by his dish.

"Well, wha's the verdict?" I asked.

"Its' tolerable," he said, "though not much like any other fowl..."

"Yeah, turkey tends to run as an accquired taste. Most other countries don' tens to eat it."

I served him ham (which he liked), and cranberries (which he also liked), potatoes (which, sweet; he liked, and mashed, not so much, until gravy was brought in, then he was very much happy), as well as many other foods that I had jacked from Larry's fridge. The whole time I noticed that never once did he touch his silverware.

"Yer neglectin' yer silverware," I pointed out.

"My what?" he asked.

I nodded to the fork, spoon and knife.

"While I understand the use of these utensials now, my people believed that eating with such things was barbaric, as it was shoveling food into one's mouth the same way one would shovel dirt into a hole. It was uncivilized. And anyway, you seem to not use them either..."

"I don' like usin' them when I c'n avoid it, though I wasn't imprudent enough to eat mashed potatoes wiv gravy wiv m' hands..." I said.

"Yes, that was a challenge," he admitted, taking a sip of wine, "Almost so much as this... mac and cheese, I believe you called it?"

I smiled, and slipped a slice of sweet potato into my mouth, and licked off my fingertips, before I noticed Ahkmenrah watching me, leaning back against the wall, with a small smile on his lips.

"What?"

"It's been three thousand year since I've watched a woman eat."

I felt myself blush, "Was it yer pastime or..?"  
He chuckled, "No, there's just something mildly sensual about watching a woman eat with her hands."

My face suddenly felt unbearably warm.

"Have I embarrassed you?"

"Not really, it's jus' tha' I ne'er hear ya talk 'bout tha' type o' stuff, so, it;s strange when ya do."

He was silent for a moment, one corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile. He leaned over on his elbow suddenly, and gently took my hand in his and kissed my knuckle, then turned my hand over and kissed each of my fingers, then my palm.

Ahk looked up at me, smiling, and I had to smiled back. He pressed his face against the soft flesh on the inside of my wrist, "I love you, Frankie, and there's something I want you to have," he got up and went to this sarcophagus, and rummages around inside of it.

"Ahk, you promised-" I started.

"I promised that I would not BUY you anything, and I didn't. I had this already, and I want you to have it."

He sat back down next to me, and took my hand back in his, opened it, and placed a small oval stone on my palm.

"It's really nothing, but it's good luck, and I'd feel better it you had it."

In the palm of my hand was a small scarab charm about the size of half of my thumb, "This is an ancient artifact! It's worth thousands of dollars!"

"Maybe a million," he corrected, smiling.

"Ya can't gimme this, Ahk."

"It is mine to do with as I please," Ahkmenrah said, "and it pleases me to give it to you now," he closed my fingers around it, "Do with it what you will, burn it, bury it, sell it. It's yours, as is my heart."

"Thank you," I smile.

"I wish only that I had more to give."

I lean over and kiss him, "I need nothin', Ahk, y'ougha know this by now, y' great fool o' a man," I whisper, and kiss him again, and again, smile at him, then whack him on the arm.

"Ow!" he rubs his arm, "What was that for?"

"Fer makin' me feel like a crumby girlfriend fer not gettin' you a gift," I say.

"You gave me food, and beer. If that isn't a gift, I don't know what one is."

"You sure ya don' want nothin' else?" I said, in a way that I was sure relayed my meaning.

"I swear to the gods if you start undressing, I will scream 'stranger danger'."

I laughed at him, "Yer silly," I sipped my wine, and leaned into his shoulder.

It was the best Christmas I had yet known.


	12. Rikki's Secrets

**AN A shorter chapter, this time. I admit though, this story is sorta moving faster than I had personally intended it to, but that's how it goes, I guess, though, I'm personally used to things going on longer than I mean.**

RILEY'S POV

The more I gave over to the monsterous man, the weaker I became, and the more haggard I looked, the more people asked after my welfare. I hate him, yet, there is nothing else I can do. If I speak of this thing I have done, then I will likely lose my apprenticeship.

TM'S POV

"So, we basically have nothing?" I asked Rikki, looking over the evidence before us.

"Nothing."

"What about this evidence that Frankie has overturned?"

"It's invalid. Believe me."

"Why? What makes this evidence invalid?" I asked.

"I just know, alright?" she snapped.

"Is it because you're one?"

"I'm one what?" she asked, harshly.

"A vampire," I said.

Her eyes narrowed at me, "My nature is of no importance, nor is my reason for not finding truth in this accusation."

"It could have weight on you interpretation of the facts," I said.

"It isn't my nature that has weight. It's my knowledge of Frankie herself. You know as well as I that she can make any argument sound plausible. You and I have both heard her argue things she doesn't believe, and that no rational mind would believe, and make the rational mind believe. You know how easy it is when the possibility is real, and she believes?"

"You think she is making us all biased to her opinion?"

"I think it's a possibility. That's all I'm saying. She lept upon the belief rather quickly."

"And the fact that it bears credibility? Are you sure you just do not want to see the things you have in the past?"  
She doesn't respond.

IBSID Information Databank

Personal Background

"Rikki" was born over one hundred years ago in London to a "respectable" family, which was actually a pairing of two respectable families, one human, one Vampiric. It was an old pair of family. The kinds that have crests of arms, and that can be traced back to the days of Charlemagne. Families that had held a seat in Parliment, and that had been cut down to their last scion, her parents. They had not been able to bear an heir to their families.

Despite popular believe, vampires are not immortal, they just seem so to mortals. The average lifespan is a few hundred years, and what with the troublesome religious fervent of the day was so troublesome. People believed that her kind were evil and they were being wiped out.

It would be a few decades before people would begin to doubt their existence, and allow then to live. Her Father's family had been seen as great by the magical community as well, for this was before the magical world was put to the form of representative government. Then it was hierarchal.

She was born Erik Dreyer in 1894.

Her parents wanted a boy, and they raised her as one. even after they were gone, she kept under the guise. Due in part to the fact that that was how everyone knew her, and in part because it allowed her liberties that being a woman would not allow her. She never told anyone that she was a woman, or that she was a vampire.

This information was not disclosed even to Frankie.

She received a monthly supply of blood pills, a medication given that was a sort of Synthetic Blood. She took one pill a day, before Frankie woke, or after she had gone to bed.

Frankie was unaware of the fact that her mentor feared inducing the frenzy between the races that she had in her day known. She had seen the punishments the Council inflicted upon Vampires for the crimes this one had committed, and wanted to be sure before they sent a potentially innocent being to death.


	13. My Lawyer Can Beat Your Lawyer Up a Hill

**AN Longer chapter, this time, and another plot twist!**

FRANKIE'S POV

I had to do school work sometimes, which irked me, but I only worked when Rikki said I had to.

But I did do History papers for a demented lunatic, which began at first because Rikki made me, and ended up being because I wanted to prove I could do it right.

I say that my teacher was a demented lunatic because Mr. Reyes was, most certainly.

I did a paper in interview format about Attila, giving credit to the Pharaoh Ahkmenrah for translating. It was, of course, a jake job, but a week later, it was returned with a red C+ marking the paper, with the words, "very creative" penned beneath.

I stayed after class to argue the grade. His reason for it?

"Attila the Hun would not simply sit down, and calmly allow himself to be interviewed."

"He was the biggest threat to the ROMAN EMPIRE, he couldn't've been all psychopants all the time! He'd need to be chill with it to strategize every now and then!"

"If you're going to do papers in this manner, you'll have to do them the proper way."

"This's History, not lit!"

"My grades are final!" he said, flipping his grade ledger shut.

"But that's stupid!" Riley said, "If you put the correct facts down, how can he take off points?"

We were walking tot the museum.

"He's offa his nuts," I grumble.

"What's yer next paper on?"  
"The Roman Empire. Im just gonna interview Octavius."

Ahk and Attila have the same response that I and Riley had bore.

"I don't understand," Ahk said, "If the highest of grades is an A, why does your paper have a C-T on it?"

"C-plus, sweetie. I have a C+ b'coz accordin' to , I botch'd Attila's character," I said.

"How?"

I explain my conversation with my unhinged teacher.

I do all of my papers as I did the first, gettin better grades as I did. Especially my work on Henry VIII and his wives. I got an A on that one. Reyes believed, no matter how many times I corrected him, that the concept was that I had my own personal time machine. I told him more than twice that I was simply speaking to the exhibits in the Museum.

One day I stayed a little late to talk about my grades.

RILEY'S POV

He met me as usual outside the school. I leaned back on the wall of the building where there aren't any cameras. He comes over to me, grinning, his thirsty eyes glowing red. He pressed himself against me, like he didn't want me gettin away, like I'm going somewhere. His teeth don't hurt the same as they did at first.

What's that? Sounds like a door... but no one's ever here this late...

"Frankie!"

She has him in a headlock, choking him. Blood glistens on his lips... my blood...

He gets loose and tries to swing at her. She falls, but catches something on the ground, a rock, or something, and she beats his head with it. She kicks his gut over and over. She kicks his face, stomps him, then comes over to me, concern etched on her face.

"Riles?" she almost carries me, "Come on."  
I lean on her and we leave the grounds. She doesn't say anything, "Don't tell anyone," I gasp, my voice breaking the silence, "Please."

"Why not?" she looked at me, then she knows, "Yer th' reason he stopped killin'..."

"Yes."

"You knew him, an' didn' once say?"

"I was protecting the people."

"We coulda execut'd him! Tha' woulda surely protect'd the people!"

"Promise you won't tell."

She does. Because she's a good friend. I'm "healed" by the time we get to the museum. It's a relatively quiet night. It's Thursday.

That is, it's quiet up until the cops show up. Frankie hears the sirens coming a few blocks away, and calls for all to go to their places. The police knock on the glass doors. Larry opens them, "Can I help you officers?"

"Yes," says the first, "We're here to issue an arrest for a Ms... Kara Stuart?" he said, reading the paper. they push their way in.

Frankie's eyes pop open wide as the two cops approach her and the second clasped her hands behind her back, and putting handcuffs on her wrists, "Kara Stuart, you are under arrest for the agravated assault of Amar Rahain. You have the right to remain silent-"

"WHAT THE HOLY FUCK?" Frankie yelled, "I ain't done shit! Gemme a lawyer, or somethin'!"

"-Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law,"the second continued, leading her out, "You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you-"

"What the hell just happened?" TM asked, once they had her in the squad car, coming down from where he'd herded the animals to keep them out of sight.

"Frankie was just arrested," Rikki said, "Riley, what do they mean by assault, and who is Amar Rahain?"

"The guy Frankie suspected of being our killer?" I said, hesitantly.

"SHE ASSAULTED HIM?"

"Not in so many words... She was protecting me," I said calmly, showing my shoulder, "He's our guy."

"So we nail him," TM said.

"Under what? And what about Frankie? DO we just waltz up to the police station and say, 'Oh, hey, sorry, about this, but she didn't assault him. He's a vampire.' Yes, I'm sure that will go over well."

"But it was defense of an innocent girl!" Teddy said, "Under the law,they can not hold her if we can prove that she was acting with the motive of protection."

"How can we prove it? Were there cameras around?" Larry asked.

"No," I admit, "We were on the other side of the school building. But she can't go to jail!"

"Who's in jail?" Ahkmenrah's the last to join us. We hadn't seen him yet that night. He looked around, a terrified look came over his face, "Where is Frankie?"

No one wanted to speak, but Rikki finally speaks up, and tells him the story.

Suddenly a thought came to me, "Teddy you know the law, and Frankie needs a lawyer. Would you represent her?"

"I know law from a hundred years ago, but I will surely try," Teddy said.

x0x0x0x0x0x

An hour later Rikki and Teddy and I left for the department where they held Frankie.

She sits in a grey room with a table and a big mirror set in the wall. She looked slightly amused by the sight of Teddy as her lawyer, in a modern suit, or rather, one that we borrowed from one of the gangsters who was close to Teddy's size.

He announces himself as Theodore Bulloch, Ms. Stuart's attorney at law.

I had hacked a few systems to give him a history, and a degree, and good marks on the BAR.

FRANKIE'S POV

Teddy Roosevelt is my lawyer. Well, curiouser things have been known to happen to me.

"So... assault?" he asks, brow raised.

"Not really. I were protectin' Riley," I protest.

"I'm quite aware of that, Kara, is it?" he asked, dubiously, "and we shall argue the case as such. However, I have acquired a copy of your arrest record. To say the least, it may cause us trouble," he glanced down at the thick file on the table before him, "The saving grace is that none of these acts were malicious in nature."

"What're we gonna do?"

"Don't worry, we shall work this all out. How mush do you know about this... Amar Rahain?"

"He used to work in the Subway nearish to my house. Tha's where I first met him. He took a likin' to me, as well's a number o' th' young girls in my neighborhood."

"You were afraid for your friend, yes?"

He's offering me excuses, true ones, but excuses none the less.

x0x0x0x0x0x

I was bailed out.

My trial was set for a few weeks later. Teddy was a good lawyer. He'd filed all of our evidence and, we even got our hands on some security tapes that could damage Rahain. Some girls from our school make appearances in them, Juin and her friends among them. That made sense. I knew they were demons.

Juin was to testify for the DA's office, so her testimony would be lacking.

We were also able to get records of Rahain's removal from the Eastern Market on eighth street in DC and the reasons were listed as several different sexual harrassment complaints made about him, by rather young girls.

And in case this evidence wasn't enough, we stacked the jury. Ahk was able to figure out how to give temporary life to a few exhibits who were willing to volunteer for jury duty.

Jed and Octavius were able to be full sized, Joan of Arc, Sakajawea, Capone, Moran, Ricca, Attila, are hooked up and all put in the jurors box.

Ahk was going to testify as a character witness as were Rikki and TM, and Riley was an actual witness to the "crime".

The trial itself was ridiculous... in retrospect of course...


	14. Not Like This

**AN Ok, so this chapter has some mild form of education too. One, ladies, never leave your drinks unattended, and two, in most of ancient Egypt, at formal events, men danced with men, and women danced with women. I'll try to have sketches of Frankie and Riley's dresses up on my deviantart page by the end of the week.**

FRANKIE'S POV

Between the bailing of myself and the trial was the school's winter formal dance. I personally, had no real intention of attending, but Rikki insisted, rather to my, and Riley's dismay.

"What is the point of this dance, exactly?" Ahk asked.

"There isn't one. It's a superfluous social gathering that Rikki thinks I oughta go to, coz I ain't never been to a dance."

"Never?"

"Well, don' sound so incredulous. You never been to one either!"

He smiled, "Well, then maybe we should..."

"Uggh, no, Ahk, please?"

"Well, I guess if you don't want to."

I sighed, "Oh, don't say it like that..."

"I'm not saying it like anything. If you don't want to go, then we won't."

I sigh again, "Ahk," I said, reluctantly, "Would you like to go to the Winter Formal wiv me?"

"Oh, well, sure. I mean, I really wasn't expecting you to ask ME, of all people," he said, jokingly.

I rolled my eyes, "We gotta get you a tux..."

"A what?"

Don't worry, I'll cover it, sweets."

He kissed my forehead.

AHKMENRAH'S POV

True to her word, she got me a tux, and dropped it off with Larry after school. She and Riley got ready in the upstairs girls bathroom. In the men's room, I washed my faces and combed my hair. There wasn't much for me to do, in all honesty, and I thought as a man, that I had it easier than the girls, that was until I realized I didn't know how to tie a bow tie, so I went in search of Larry to ask his help.

Larry smiled at me, "Well, don't you clean up nice?"

"I guess. Um, How do I do this... thing?"

"I don't really know. I never really had the opportunity to wear a bow tie, and when I did, my ex usually helped me with it. Why don't you ask Rikki or TM... or one of the Victorians..."

It became a quest. A quest to find someone who knew how to tie this damn thing. Rikki finally had me sit on a bench, and she stood behind me, and tied it.

"You look like you've done that before," TM said, and there was the feeling that I was missing a inside joke, that I was not privy to.

"Alright, now remember, Frankie's alias is Bailey O'Brien. If you refer to her as anything els, you risk blowing her cover," Rikki said, "which means everyone will know that she isn't who she says, and we will all likely be court marshaled."

"But no pressure," TM said.

Rikki was looking up at the stairwell, with a look of mild awe on her face, "Well, Riley McKellan, don't you look like a proper lady?"

And I had to admit that she did. She wore a strapless dress that was a sort of purple pink color, with a bow at the waist, and the collar was rather like an extention of the bow's shape, "You look wonderful."

"Just promise me I'll never have to wear a dress again."

TM smiled at her, "You'll do fine, kid."

"Is Frankie almost done?" Rikki asked.

"Yeah, she'll be down in a few," Riley said, fidgeting with her skirt, or rather, the sheer covering to it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Frankie come around. I can't speak. She looks gorgeous. Her dress was black, under purple lace, off the shoulder and it was fitted to the waist, then it filled out. Her dark hair was pinned back on the sides, leaving tendrils hanging down by her face. Her make up was flawless, black and dark purple powder colored her eyes. Dark hose covered her legs to her oxford heels. She smiled at me, and I felt like everything else faded into nothing.

She adjusted the angle of my tie, "You shine up nice, sweets."

"You look..." I can't think of the words, "I like you."

"I like you, too, Ahk," she said, in a mildly amused way.

"I'm sorry," I laughed.

"For what?"

"Hm, the failure to produce words?" I smiled.

"Stange, I think I can definately over look that, considerin' how smokin' you is, baby."

"OH, my GOD!" Rikki said, "Haven't we talked about how I never want to ever hear your ridiculous puppy love talk!"

Frankie giggled, "Alright, let's head out, troopers!" she took my hand, and the three of us piled into a taxi cab and headed to the dance.

FRANKIE'S POV

I tried my best to explain that the dance would be rather different than anything he had experienced in his own time. That I was honestly not even sure what to expect. I wasn't sure how strict the chaperones were going to be.

"And most important of all, what do you want to be called?" I asked, dead serious.

"Well, I mean, i figured I'd just use the whole Rami Ahkmen thing... since that's technically my legal name. That's the name I'll be testifying under. Which reminds me, please behave tonight."

"What's that s'posed to mean?"

"I was just thinking that with you going on trial in a week, the last thing we need, is someone testifying that you behaved any other way than proper."

"If I ever go into politics, will you be my PR advisor?"

"If you go in to politics, I would personally be terrified," Riley said.

"My sentiments exactly," Ahk said.

"But I can see what he means, Frankie. You tend to... well, be able to be passionately defensive."

"I am not!" I said, "Oh... wait... ok, I'll give you that, but I'm generally right."

"And it's adorable, but please, no cat fights until after the trial," Ahk said.

"I don't see why we;re so worried. It's all in the bag."

"Pride cometh before the fall," Riley pointed out, walking ahead of us into the dance.

"Alright, ya ready?" I asked, taking his hand.

"Yes. And no matter what, I'll be right here with you."

"To hold my earrings?"

"Or your hand."

AHKMENRAH'S POV

I was mildly unprepared for the manner in which these students danced. Women and Men actually dancing together? And, if anything it seemed a form of fornication. Frankie called it grinding, and I asked why no one in the museum danced in this manner, including her. She responded, "Coz I'm sure it'd give Teddy a heart attack, an' the New England settlers would think I was a witch or a harlot and hang me... why? You want to or something?"

"What? Me? No!"

"So... yes?"

"Am I that apparent?"  
"No, you're a man, and there's grinding. Seriously not a brainsweat. In all honesty, I'd be exponentially offended if you didn't want to."

I felt myself smiling. It was actually enjoyable.

I left Frankie to get drinks at some point in the evening, and that is where I met Juin. She was pretty, I admit, and she seemed actually nice, though there was something about her that made me understand Frankie not liking her so much. She seemed to sour when I said that I was there with Frankie, well, Bailey, and in fact, I think she was flirting with me, but I didn't reciprocate, by any means. She said there was no hard feelings over that, and even handed me the drinks. I thanked her, and went back to my date.

The soda tasted sorta funny, "Hey, does this taste like normal coke to you?" I asked.

"I expect it's just cheaper stuff. Cola, not coke, like the stuff they use in bars for mixed drinks."

I had only had soda once, and I remember that the amounts of sugar and caffine did leave me feeling rather... I don't know, bubbly?

"Hyper, baby," Frankie said, smiling, she kissed my cheek, "Come and dance wiv me?" she asked.

It was a slow song, with a soulful voice. She leaned against me, swaying with me. Her arms around my neck. I loved the feel of her close to me. I loved my hands on her waist, the smell of her hair. I loved everything about her. I kissed her, and leaned my forehead on hers. I felt lazy, tired.

When the dance was done, I lead her back to where we left our cups, and sat down, drinking again.

"I feel sorta floaty," Frankie said.

"Yeah, me, too."

She giggled and took my hand, kissing it, "You silly, silly man, I love you!"

I leaned over and kissed her. A pair of hands swoops in like a hawk and seperates us.

"Two feet minimum!" said a nun's stern voice.

Frankie giggled as the nun walked away, "Come on," she took my hand and dragged my out in the room.

"Where are we going?" I asked, laughing. I don't know why it was funny that we were walking down the hall. We were more stumbling that walking really. She pulled me into a broom closet and closed the door behind her, and kissed me, then lightly smacked me.

"Why did you do that?" I asked, confused.

"I'm sorry," she laughed. It made me laugh too, and I kissed her again, I kissed her shoulder, "I love you. I love your shoulder. It's a nice shoulder..."

She laughed again, and kissed the top of my head. I kissed her and kissed her and kissed her. My hands wandered, and though some part of me wanted to stop it, the majority of me found no issue.

"Ahk..." she whispered, "Do you want me?"

"Not here. Like like this."

"Just' checkin'" she smiled, kissing me.

A light poured into the room, because the door was opening, the door we were leaning on. We fell to the floor.

"Oh, hello Sister Joyce!" Frankie said cheerfully up at the disapproving nun.

And that is how we were kicked out of our first dance. We waited outside for Riley, laughing about it on the steps outside the school.

RILEY'S POV

"What are you guys doing out here?" I asked.

"We got kickeded out!" Frankie slurred.

"Why?"

"They caught us in the closet together," Ahk laughed.  
"Oh, gods... Are you both drunk?"

"I'm beginin' to suspect such," Frankie slurred.

"How?"

"Uh dunnoo!"

"Jeez... Come on," I grabbed them by their arms and tugged them to the curb where I hailed a cab, and pushed them in.

"Where ta?" asked the cabbie, a jamaican man.

"The Museum of Natural History, please?"

"Tha's closed."

"My uncle's the night guard," I lied quickly.

"Okee then," he drove off.

"Look!" Frankie turned the light on and off.

"Oh! There's a little light!" Ahk exclaimed, "It goes on and off!" he reached over, and started playing wth it too.

"This one's mine! Play with yer own!"

"No," I said, "Don't! Either of you!"

The cabbie was looking at us funny in the rear-view.

"Light is an absence of dark made of a mixture of colors that's outside of our ability to see. Like how snow is such a brill white, ya know?" Frankie said.

"I don't like snow. It's cold," Ahk said, pouting.

"Then you picked the wrong city to live in, mahn," said Cabbie.

"I didn't pick this place. This is where they sent me!"

"Where you from, Mahn?"

"Egypt-"

I jabbed him in the ribs.

"By way of Cambridge."

The lot of us fell quiet the rest of the way to the museum, save for the laughing back and forth between them, for no apparent reason.

I herded them up to the door, and Larry let us in and then Frankie and Ahk tumbled in and sat on one of the benches.

"Are they drunk?" Larry asked.

"Yeah..."

"How did they-?"

"I'm working on it."

It didn't take long for everyone to find out.

"How did this happen?" Rikki asked, "Where did they get the alcohol?"

"We didn't have alcohol! We had cola!" said Frankie.

"OH!" Ahk sat up quick, knocking into Frankie, "Your friend Juin gave me the cups!"

Frankie punched his shoulder, "You idjit! She hates me! She prolly drugged us!" she rubbed her forehead, "We left our drinks unattended... and I did feel more floaty after the second dance. Oh I'm stupid."

"Are we in trouble?" Ahk asked.

"If the jury wasn't taken care of we might be," TM said, "This is will likely be brought up in the trial, which means if it's mentioned, it'll go into Frankie's record, by way of court transcripts."

"We got kicked out..."

"Oh, gods," Rikki facepalmed, "You're a jinx Frankie."


	15. The TrailI got nothing

**AN Yes, Cabot is based off of Cabot from Law and Order SVU, not in actions, but she just happened to pop into my mind as I was writing this. Sorry if the trial seems anticlimactic, it sorta annoyed me to write. Also, my deviantart page is down for a bit, as people have been getting hacked on there. There's possibly only one more chapter to this act of the series, and then there will be the next one.**

"Judge Hinsen presiding," declared the bailiff, "All rise."

We do so as an older man enters and sits down, "Be seated."

I plop down in my seat, smoothing out my suit pants, and the trial began. The ADA, a tall blonde woman, named Cabot, gives her opening remarks, and calls me a threat to society. Teddy gives his, calling me a victim of circumstance, and innocent of the charges against me.

Ms. Cabot calls forth the flatfoot that arrested me and Ahk that one time we got pinched for necking in the park. He explained that we had been apprehended for breaking and entering. Teddy contested by asking if our youthful love was a violent indiscretion.

"Well, no-"

"So, they didn't assault anyone to get in to the abandoned area, and we can say abandoned, because, as you pointed out, there was no one at all around, correct?"

"I guess."

"So, what you're saying is, there is absolutely no evidence to your knowledge that there was any violence on the part of my client at anytime? What exactly does your testimony prove?"

"That Ms. Stuart has a past of disregard for the law," Cabot said.

"But not a violent one. One nonviolent indiscretion does not imply that my client has at any point in time become criminally violent with anyone, ever."

Cabot's copper is released, and Rahain is put on the stand.

I hate him. He has the gall to smile at me as he takes the stand. I want to beat his brains out, but I feel somehow that the action would not in the least aid me in my defense.

Rahain tells how he knows me, and how he used to work near my house. He makes it sound like he's a perfect gentleman.

Teddy makes a point of asking, "So, how did you come by your current job?"

Rahain glared, "I was relocated."

"On what grounds?"

"I was accused of certain indis-"

"What specifically?"

"A girl accused me of harassment."

"Sexual Harassment, correct?"

"Yes."

"And there was a whole smathering of evidence, yes?"

"Yes."

"How old was the girl in question?"

"Fourteen, I think."

There were whispers in the court.

"What were you doing outside of the school on the night in question?"

"I was walking home from work."

"Four hours after your shift ended?" Teddy asked.

Rahain didn't answer.

"We have a girl who claims to have witnessed you dragging a Ms. Riley McKellan behind the school, in a manner that seemed to be against her will."

"Who says this?" he snarled.

"Do you deny this?"

"I do. Your past speaks against you, sir. No further questions."

The next witness was Juin, hse's asked how she knows me, and goes on about what a god awful person I am, including, but not limited to the fight my first day, and the removal of myself and Ahk from the dance for being drunk in a broom closet.

I was tempted to begin laughing as I thought about that last bit.

"Ms. Phillips, could it be argued, that the only really violent account that you have been able to discribe, the fight earlier this year, was an action in self defense?"

"No, she's just crazy," Juin said.

"Crazy enough to take on five football players single handedly?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Teddy pulled out a file of security camera footage stills that showed bit by bit, that they had approached me, no the other way about.

"Perhaps, I mispoke..."

"Oh, you weren't there. I'm sure you would never purposefully purger yourself. However, you understand that's a crime, and that I move to have your testimony struck from the record."

The next day it was our turn.

We had our own character witnesses, and our own witness to the supposed assault.

Ahk testifies not only to my character but to the fact that we had repeatedly complained about Rahain.

TM testified that he had known of Rahain prior to the incident and understood the man as one that he would not let his own children near, if he had any. Teddy showed the jury a surveilance video of Rahain dreagging Riley around the side of the school, after waiting outside for hours.

Then Riley had to take the stand, because she witnessed the actual event. She recounted how Rahain had snatched her after school, and dragged her around the school side, as the video showed, and she felt certain her life was in peril. She said in no uncertain terms that, "Kara saved me, if not from death, then from something far worse."

"Thank you," Teddy said, "Your witness, Ma'am."

Cabot started right in on Riles, demanding that she tell the truth, saying that her friendship with me was her only reason for testifying so dramatically. It was how I was sure that she knew she was beat.

She was harsher than she needed to be, which led Al to tell her to back off, "Let the girl be! She wouldn't lie under oath!"

"Quiet in the jury!" Williams glared.

"No, yer honor! She badgerin' the poor girl!"

"Be quiet or I'll hold you in contempt!"

Al took one look at the rather frightening bailiff and shuddered.

"Continue," Williams said.

"I have no further questions your honor," Cabot sat back down.

I still had to take the stand which I didn't appreciate. I mean, seriously, how was I gonna be convicted?

I recount, at Teddy's request the events from my point of view from that night, right up to the police busting in and arresting me.

"So you acted to protect your friend?" Teddy asked.

"Objection! He's leading the defendant!" Cabot howled.

"I'm just making sure that the testimonial evidence is understood, ma'am."

She didn't have any questions for me either. I knew she would drop the case, were it up to her, but a complaint was filed, and she had to let the trial go its course.

The jury was gone half an hour before returning a verdict of guilty.

Just kidding, I was found innocent and let leave then and there.

RILEY'S POV

Frankie isn't going to jail.

I'm glad.

When she comes to the museum that night, we have a party. Frankie smiles for the world, free of the trial. She hugs Ahkmenrah close and dances with him. I decide to do something tricky. I play swing music from Frankie's ipod, out of curiousity to see the reaction on the part of the group.

That was how it became apparent that Capone was one hell of a dancer. He and Rikki were doing some serious rug cutting.

At one point, I went to CVS to get some soda, Frankie offered to go with me, but I told her to stay with Ahk, that I'd be fine.

I didn't even get through the park.

FRANKIE'S POV

I see someone at the door and almost have a heart attack, but I know him. I unlock the door for my dad's old pal, "Sparky?"

He looks grave and holds something in his arms , "I found her in the park."

I push the blanket away from the thing in his arms and gasp, "Riles..."

"She's not dead," Sparky said, "But look at her neck."

I push the blanket back further and want to cry. There were two rows of teeth marks. The wounds themselves are dark, the color affects the veins surrounding the wounds as well.

"She's infected..." Rikki says calmly. She turns to Larry, "We need to use the security office."

He nodds and lets us in the room. Riley is lain on the couch.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

"Call this number, and ask for Zero, tell him Riley is infected, and that he needs to come and help her now. Time is of the essence!"

Riley's eyes are wide, and she's semiawake now. I go and sit next to her, and take her hand in both of mine, "Don' worry, kiddo, you'll be alright."

She looks hungry, but ashamed. Before I can ponder this, which is considerably quick, she snatches me and bites my neck. I don't pull away. Why would I? She's my best friend. If I can help her, I will.

A hand snatches me and seperates us. First she growls, then whimpers, "Help me..."  
Zero looks at me, but doesn't say a word. He digs through his bag, and pulls out a few bottles of dark red liquid out, and lays them down on the table beside the couch. He pressed his hand over her eyes and chanted something in an ancient sounding language, then she was asleep.

He takes a syringe and injects it into one of the bite marks, extracting a DNA sample in the venom, though I don't need it to know who did this.

He started to lean over the wound when I snatched him back, "What are you doing?"

"I have to get the venom out," he said.

"You'll kill her!"

"I have blood to give her. If the Venom gets to her brain, she'll be one of us, and I gather you don't want that. Let me do my job."

I reluctantly released him, and he went to work. When he was done, he injected an IV into her arm with the other end in the blood bottles. There was something about he color that I didn't like.

"Why's it that color?" I inquired.

"There's an antibody in the blood that will take care of any traces of venom that I missed."

"Why didn' you just use that stuff to begin wiv?"  
"Because it only takes care of trace amounts. Calm down.

I sit by her side the night through.


	16. Another Failed Seduction

**AN Ok, last chapter of this story of the series. I should have the next part up tomorrow, or the day after.**

RILEY'S POV

It was Rahain. I told them so, and I testified to the Vampiric Council who, rather cryptically stated in their verdict, that Rikki's testimony alone would have been enough to bring forth a guilty verdict, if she had given one.

He was put to death by fire.

I didn't go to the execution, though I was invited to attend, along with Rikki, TM, and Frankie. Frankie didn't go either. She stayed with me, that night in Larry's apartment where we watched tv and split a tub of ice cream. Rikki and TM went because they were on some level obligated to go.

I didn't want to talk about. Nor, I imagined, did Frankie who sat quietly next to me, watching Harvey on Turner Classic Movie Channel until we fell asleep.

The next night we go to the museum, and I join in on the soccer game, playing with the Neanderthals. I'm not quite so down after the game, and I send Frankie off after her boyfriend, as she hadn't seen him since the night of my attack.

She looks at me, concerned, so I give her a gentle push towards Ahk on the other sidd of the room.

"Thanks, Riles," she smiled, giving my hand a quick squeeze then goes over to her beloved Pharaoh, where she wraps her arms around his neck, and drags him on to the floor to dance.

FRANKIE'S POV

"Is Riley alright?" Ahk asks, later in his tomb.

"She will be," I said,"in time, but I feel like such a crumby friend. I couldn' even figure out what was wrong with my best friend."  
"If she wanted you to know, she would have told you."

"But I shoulda known."

"You can't beat yourself up over this."

"She's like my sister, y'know?"  
"I know," he whispers, "I know," his fingers run through my hair as gently as I think possible. He's so gentle that I want to cry. I love it when he does that. It leaves me feeling so wonderfully drowsy. I lay there with my head in his lap. I reach up to his face, but like always, I have problems reaching him, so I tugged down on the lower part of his collar, and kissed him.

"You tryin' to distract me?"

"I'm trying to take your mind off of your apparent guilt."

"Thanks, then, I guess."

He kissed my forehead.

We sat silently for a while, until I decided I had to say something. He was trying to help.

"You're a swell fellow, Ahk. You ain't got a clue how swell you are," I whispered.

He slipped his arms around me, and held me close, cuddling me, and nuzzling my neck. I had to giggle at the closeness and the attention.

His soft breath tickled my neck.

"Knock it off, Ahk."

"I doubt that you really want me to," I could hear the smile in his voice, "I think you want me to do it more," he kissed my neck gently. It was like a butterfly. I run my fingers through his curly hair, tangling my fingers up in it.

"I love you, so much, Ahkie. You know that, don' ya?"

He withdraws from my neck, "Yes, why do you say this? Are you going away now that this mad man is destroyed?"

"Dunno. I really don'. We'll be here 'til we get our new orders, but who knows when that'll be. D'ya have any idea what it's like to have no control over your own life?"

"Yes," he says, and the blunt honesty of this fact hits me like a brick to the jaw. Of course, he knows. Of course.

"Ya know it's really difficult for me to complain 'bout m'own life to you."

"Why?"

"B'coz all yer own problems seem far worse than mine're."

"I don't think that's true."

"How selfish do I sound, gripin' 'bout my job when your very life ends with the sun's rise?"

"Not very," the softest of smiles forms on his lips, "I don't think it's selfish of you to confide in me about things that bother you. That's why I'm here."

"That's a very dull reason for existence, if you don' mind me sayin' so."

"I don't find it so. Considering the fact that we have all of eternity, it isn't as if you'll waste anytime by complaining."

"I just don' wanna turn into one of those whiney bitches o' a girlfriend what you can't stand."

"You won't be. Not ever."

"I wouldn't assume anything if I were you. But you are so very good."

x0x0x0x0x0x

But he was right. They could send us off at any moment, without any real warning to it. And I was determined that I wouldn't leave him without us consumating our relationship. But I admit that for once, I had absolutely no plan...

Which led to yet another failed seduction, which meant that Ahk was simply furious with me again, for being all... you know.

"Why do you keep doing this?" he asks, sitting on the floor next to me."

"Because I want to. You denying me just makes me more stubborn, y'know."

"I'm aware of this fact."

"I'm like a child, and you're the mother who keeps taking the matches and putting them up on a higher shelf. In my case, it doesn't stop me from trying, it just forces me to think of new ways to try. You understand what I'm gettin' at?"

"I need to lock them in a cabinet and take away your step stool and your lockpicking equipment?"

"No, you should just give up."  
"Ok, hole in your logic."

"I doubt it."

"The matches will burn you. Hurt you, leave a permanent scar that will never fade away, no matter how well you heal."

"Well, I would have the opportunity to learn for myself."

"I'm not that sort of parent."

"What's it feel like?"

"What does what feel like?"

"You know..."

"Oh... um... good."

"Just good?" I asked.

"I can't really put the sensation to words," he said, blushing.

"Ahk, yer blushin'..." I press a hand to his cheek, "Why?"

"Well... you see..."

"You embarrassed to discuss it?"

"I'm just not sure how to explain it to you. It's... just something you have to experience for yourself. But it can be good. I promise."

"As good as ice cream?" I asked, jokingly.

"Better."

I gasped dramatically, "Blasphemy!"

He smiled, and kissed me gently.

**Thanks, and stay tuned.**


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